Oddity
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: Even the most stubborn of people can fall in love, no matter how difficult the journey. -Rated for Sexual Content- Hideaki x Ami Note: An OC story
1. Vacation

**Oddity**

_Chapter One_

-Vacation-

Minako sat at the table with her family, eating the meal she had prepared earlier that day. She looked to her youngest daughter Ayame, who had become a Chuunin a couple years back. Her long, wavy auburn hair fell to her waist and was pulled away from her face in a clip, revealing her pale features and teal eyes. She was wearing her new ninja clothes that had been bought for her recently, as her other ones had become too small. Ayame took after her mother in build, and so practically overnight she had blossomed, now having the large, full chest of a woman. Her entire outfit was made of a dull pink, the top only covering one shoulder and scooping diagonally across her chest, mesh coming up from it and fastening around her neck. The sleeve that came off her shoulder hung down past her hand, with her forehead protector tied around her bicep. She had on leggings that went to her ankles, and a short skirt with long slits up the sides for easy movement, her kunai holster strapped around her right thigh.

The ebony haired woman then looked to her oldest child, who always seemed to have a bored look on her face. She was almost as tall as her father, and had a slight build. Her straight auburn locks were up in a high ponytail that ended in the middle of her back, her bangs brushing off to the right. Her clothes were blue, the top tight and sleeveless, stopping beneath her chest to reveal her flat stomach. She had on tight black shorts and a blue skirt, looking similar to her grandmother, Sabaku no Sakura. She wore fingerless gloves on her hands and her forehead protector on her right thigh, along with her kunai holster.

It was then Minako's blue gaze moved to her husband, Sabaku no Toshiro, the Sixth Kazekage of Suna. He looked exactly like his father, though his jade eyes were darker, thanks to his mother. Such thoughts had her missing her own family, as she hadn't seen either of her parents since Ayame completed the Chuunin Exams two years ago. Not to mention her grandfather was in poor condition, and she wanted to see him before it was too late. But she knew such a subject would have to be broached carefully, and so continued to look around the table at her family.

Noticing that nobody was catching her gaze, Minako sighed, twirling her fork in her pasta. "I sure miss mommy and daddy." She said, glancing at Toshiro. "It's been a while since we've seen them."

"Hell. No." Ami said before her mother could continue, looking up at her with hard teal eyes. "I can't stand Konoha, and I can stand our family there even less."

Minako pouted. "I just want to take a short trip there, like a family vacation. It would be fun."

"I agree with mom." Ayame smiled. "Besides, we never get to see our cousins, and I always have fun when we visit."

Ami crossed her arms. "I'm still not going. It's a stupid idea."

Minako looked at Toshiro then, who was still eating his dinner like nothing was going on. "What do you think Shiro-kun?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyes at him to help get him onto her side.

The redhead sighed and stood. "I think I'm going to finish eating upstairs." He said, grabbing his plate and walking out of the room before his wife could stop him.

"See, that means no." Ami smirked, returning to her meal. Minako frowned and stood.

"We'll just see about that." She huffed, turning and following after her husband.

Ayame looked to her sister. "Why don't you want to go? A vacation sounds nice."

She met her sibling's mirrored gaze. "If it were a vacation, we would be going to a different village where we had no family members, and could just relax. If we go to Konoha, I will not be able to relax at all."

"I don't know why you have that problem sister, since you don't possess any sand, the atmosphere shouldn't be that bad to you."

"I don't like all the love and Uchiha-worship that occurs in that stupid village. And grandpapa is an idiot, I don't understand how grandmother puts up with him." the elder said.

Just then Minako re-entered the room, a triumphant look on her face. "Girls, pack your bags, we leave for Konoha in two days' time." She announced, taking her seat and picking up her fork.

"Yay!" Ayame cheered, bouncing slightly in her chair.

Ami slammed her hands on the table as she stood, using enough force to cause it to shake. "What?" she shouted. "Daddy said yes? But he hates it there almost as much as I do!"

The ebony haired woman didn't even seem affected by her daughter's outburst. "Ami, your father is that Kazekage. And as a Kage, he is very busy, and will not have time to come with us to see family. So it's going to be a girl's vacation!" she smiled, absolutely thrilled with the idea.

Ayame gasped in delight. "That's even better! We can bond over our shared experiences and grow closer as a family!"

Ami's eye began to twitch as they continued to talk about all of the fun things they could do while on their little 'vacation'. Unable to take any more of this, she stomped out of the room and up the stairs, making a beeline for her father's study, where she knew he was. "Daddy!" she said, opening the door without knocking and stopping before the desk that the redhead was eating at. "How could you just give in to mom and her lame idea?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Do you want me to go crazy and commit suicide? Huh? Because I swear that's what's going to happen if I'm stuck with them in that frilly green place with all those arrogant, self-centered people. Not to mention grandpapa."

"I don't know why you hate it there so much, you're not like a fish out of water the way Ayame and myself are." The elder sighed, really not in the mood to deal with his trouble-stirring eldest. "Besides, aunt Natty loves it there, and she's from Suna, and your mother really wants to spend time with you girls."

"Then why can't we do it somewhere where I won't have to deal with our family?" she whined, letting her arms fall to her sides. "And you're not even going, so I won't have anything to do. Because mom is going to be all about hanging out with her family and aunt Sumi, and Ayame gets along with everyone, so she'll be busy the whole time. I'll be all by myself, and-" she paused, a devious smile coming to her face then.

"And?" Toshiro raised a brow, not liking the things that look could lead to on any woman in his family.

Ami began to laugh then, though it sounded a bit maniacal. "And I'll be left alone!" she announced, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "I can just have my own vacation all by myself!" she giggled, flitting around the room as if this was the best thing in the world. "All I have to do is say hi to everyone, go to a few events, and voila! Me time!" she ran over and kissed the redhead on the cheek. "Thanks daddy! I love you!" she said, leaving the room as quickly as she had entered.

Toshiro blinked, staring at the door to his office, now very, _very _confused. "What just happened?" he asked himself before returning to his meal.

* * *

About a week later, Minako and her two daughters arrived in Konoha. "I'm so glad you changed your mind Ami." The ebony haired woman smiled over at her eldest daughter. "This vacation is going to be so much fun."

"Uh huh." Ami nodded absentmindedly, already wondering how soon she could ditch her mom and sister.

"And I bet grandmother has a yummy meal planned for us, and has our rooms ready and everything!" Ayame smiled.

This made Ami blink. "What? You mean we're not staying in a hotel?"

"Of course not sweetie." Minako waved her off with a laugh. "This is a family vacation after all, and your grandparents have more than enough room for us."

Ami blew a few stray wisps of hair from her face in slight aggravation. This put a bit of a hitch in her plans, but as long as she was gone for most of the day, things shouldn't be too much of a problem. It didn't take too long to arrive at their grandparent's house, and when they did, their grandmother was the one to answer the door. "Girls, it's so wonderful to see you." the elder woman said, holding her arms open for a hug.

Minako and Ayame stepped into the embrace, and Ami just sighed. But before she could move away, her sister grabbed her and yanked her into the group hug. "I missed you grandmother!" Ayame smiled.

"We all did." Minako laughed.

"Naruto-kun and I have been looking forward to your arrival ever since you wrote us." Hinata informed them as she stepped back to allow them inside the house. "He's over teaching a class at the academy today. It's good for him to be with the kids." She said as they walked into the living room.

"You mean so he can act like one and not look like a freak?" Ami asked in a bored tone.

"Ami." Minako frowned, before looking back at her elder. "Well we'll just go put our stuff in our rooms and then we can all catch up while waiting for daddy to come home." She said.

"Alright." Hinata smiled. "I'll go and prepare some tea." She said, turning and heading towards the kitchen.

Ami followed her mother and sister up the stairs to the bedrooms. "Mom, can Ayame stay with you?" she asked, since there was only one guest room, along with her mother's old room and her grandparent's room.

Ayame stopped and blinked, looking up at her sister with wide eyes. "You don't want to share with me sissy?"

"Ami, you're sharing with your sister." Minako said with a tone of finality.

"But mom, I'm eighteen. Do you know how lame it is to have to share a room with your little sister at my age?"

"Not as lame as it is for someone my age to share a room with their mom." Ayame quipped, opening the door to their room and heading inside. Ami sighed and followed after her sister, knowing she wouldn't win this battle. She threw her bag onto her bed while Ayame placed her gourd against the wall. Then she walked over to the window and slid it open.

"Tell mom I went to get some fresh air."

The younger girl frowned. "Don't you want to stay and rest while we talk to grandmother? We are here for a family vacation after all."

She snorted. "Yeah, and the vacation doesn't officially start until tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll be back in time for dinner." She said, before climbing out the window and leaping onto a nearby roof.

She got away from the house as quickly as she could, slowing only when the shopping district came into view. A small smile came to her face. Today she could window shop, and tomorrow just breeze through the stores and buy what she'd already found. After that she could stop for a quick bite to eat at one of the local restaurants, and then meet her mom and Ayame over at her aunt and uncle's house, where they would be having dinner. It was perfect.

She wandered around the streets for a while, mentally listing the things she wanted to get. Suddenly she could sense a familiar chakra signature, and she froze. _Crap_. She glanced around, spotting the source a ways down the street. It was her cousin Noriaki, and he was with two of his friends. One of them she had met before, as he was dating her other cousin, Izayoi. He had grey eyes and white spiky hair, though the bottom half of it was black. She searched her mind for his name, but remembered that at the time she didn't care enough to listen when they'd been introduced.

But she'd never seen the other one. This boy had light brown hair that fell around his kind face, framing his fuchsia eyes nicely. He was slender, like her cousin and the man with him, but was slightly taller than the other two. They were all laughing, and didn't seem to notice her, which was good. Ami quickly concealed her chakra and ducked behind a vendor selling elegant scarves and sashes.

"Hello madam!" the merchant boomed, startling her. "Would you like to buy a veil?" he smiled. "I bet we can find the perfect one to match your stunning eyes!"

"Shut it old man." Ami hissed, peeking out to make sure she hadn't been found out. "I'm not here to buy anything." She searched for her cousin, and, not spotting him, let out a breath of relief. He was gone.

She straightened and walked back onto the street in the direction she had been going in, a pleased smirk on her face. Then she turned a corner and ran into a hard body, causing her to stumble backwards a bit. When she looked up, it was to meet the amused gaze of the man she had been trying to avoid, his two friends behind him. "Damnit." She cursed, a frown coming to her face. She'd thought she'd lost him.

"Not exactly the greeting I would expect from you cousin." The Uchiha triplet smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ami rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well I obviously wasn't going out of my way to say hello to you."

"Yeah but your hair makes you kinda obvious. And you didn't conceal your chakra in time for Nori not to catch a whiff of it." the white haired boy snickered.

"Exactly." The Uchiha snickered, "And here I thought you got better with age Mimi. Guess the lack of weight in your chest had more effects than first presumed."

She glared at him. "Whatever Nori. At least I'm not walking down the street laughing and looking like a queer." She said. "Along with two other equally as gay looking people."

"I resent that." The first boy huffed, crossing his arms. "Me dating Izayoi is definite proof that I am as straight as they come."

Ami raised a delicate brow. "Or a fool proof plan to keep people from knowing the truth."

"I think everyone needs to just calm down and relax." The brunette sighed, holding his hands up in a placating manner. He stepped between his friend and the girl, seeing that at the insult of his sister even pretending to be someone's girlfriend Noriaki was about to blow. "Hi, I'm Akechi Hideaki." The boy smiled, pushing Noriaki back slightly before he offered his hand to Ami.

She blinked in momentary surprise. He was much more attractive than she had initially given him credit for, now that he was practically invading her personal space. At a loss for what to do, as she was momentarily stunned by how kind his eyes looked, she wiped any and all expression off of her face. She needed to get out of here now before she embarrassed herself. "Okay." She said, moving her gaze back to Noriaki. "See you at dinner tomorrow, cousin." She waved over her shoulder as she turned and walked away from the group of boys.

Hideaki blinked and looked back at his friends, "Well she was rude."

"Yeah." Noriaki sighed, scratching the back of his head. "She's just pms-ing cause' she's a flat chested, sand-less Sabaku descendent."

"So what can she do?" Kai asked, looking at his friend.

"She's strong like my grandma and aunt Tomi, I think she can heal. But she got the other, retarded end of the gene pool." The Uchiha chuckled. "You know old Naruto is a doofus."

Kai laughed. "Yeah, he is."

"Well I'm hungry." Hideaki said simply, touching his stomach. "Let's get something."

"Agreed." Noriaki nodded. And so the trio headed off to get something to eat.

* * *

Ami let out a sigh as she brought her covers up under her chin. Dinner had been terrible, of course, because her grandpapa, mother, and sister didn't shut up the entire time. And her grandmother just sat there and smiled, chiming in every once in a while. How could such a quiet woman live with such a loud man? Though, they did say love was blind, so it's possible that it could be deaf as well.

Ayame came out of the bathroom then and got into the bed next to her. When she tugged on the comforter , Ami tugged back. "Sissy, quit hogging the covers." The younger girl whined slightly.

"Quit using an unnecessary amount of them to cover yourself with." She replied.

Her sister sighed. "Just because you aren't happy about this vacation doesn't mean you need to ruin it for the rest of us."

"As long as you guys leave me alone I'll be fine." Ami said, clenching her eyes shut and willing herself to go to sleep. The moment when she had run into Noriaki and his friends came to mind at Ayame's words. She really could have been nicer to that boy. It wasn't like he had done anything to make her angry. It was her stupid cousin and his cracks about her chest. But she had been so flustered, anything that she could have said would have sounded stupid.

Another sigh left her lips as she got over her momentary guilt. Tomorrow was a big day. After all, she had a lot of shopping to do before going to what was sure to be a terrible dinner with her cousins.


	2. Dinner with the Fam

**Oddity**

_Chapter Two_

-Dinner with the Fam-

Ami felt her excitement begin to rise as she watched the cashier ring up her purchases. She didn't really care about cost, because whatever she bought was with either her daddy's or her grandpapa's money. After she paid and grabbed her large bag of sleepwear and negligee, she picked up the other four bags from previous stores and walked back onto the main shopping street in Konoha.

Today was actually a really beautiful day, making the auburn haired girl in an even better mood, which was rare. She looked around and smiled slightly when she spotted an ice cream vendor down the street. Never in a million years would she tell her grandparents this, but she preferred sweet ice creams to the salty ones they sold in Suna. It wasn't that she didn't like it, but this was sort of a small indulgence of her.

She walked over to the stall and smiled at the man. "One vanilla cone please. With two scoops." She said, moving her bags over to one arm so that she could grab her money pouch. She paid and grabbed her cone, giving the vendor a genuine smile before walking away and taking a lick of her cone.

A content sigh left her as she bent her head for another lick, which turned into a mouthful as the ice cream was suddenly shoved into her face. In her surprise, Ami accidentally crushed the waffle cone it had come in, getting the cold treat all over her hand. "Damnit." She quickly tossed the ruined cone to the side and shook her hand to get as much of the stickiness off as she could.

She took a step back and look to see what she had run into, only to discover it had been a man, and she'd gotten ice cream all over the front of his shirt. "I'm so sorry." She said as she tried to wipe at the mess left on her face from their collision. Her gaze moved up, and she blinked at what she saw. "Oh." She said, recognizing the boy from yesterday that she had been rude to. A small blush came to her cheeks as she realized how close they were standing. They were so close that she could smell whatever soap he used, and it smelled really nice.

He sighed, pulling down on the hem of his grey v-neck. "This was my favorite shirt." Hideaki mumbled to himself, trying to wipe the bulk off with his hand.

"Sorry." She said once again, searching for something to wipe at the ice cream with. She reached into one of her shopping bags and pulled out the blanket she had bought to use while sharing a bed with her sister. She quickly wiped her face off before holding it out to him. "Here."

He glanced up and then at the blanket, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it." he smiled, letting his shirt fall. "You know you could have just asked for napkins from the vendor, instead of using your new blanket."

She shrugged, trying to show that she didn't really care, despite reprimanding herself for looking like an idiot. "I'll just wash it and give it to my sister." She said, shoving it back in the bag she had pulled it from.

"How kind of you." he said sarcastically, without sounding rude. "Well, you should probably try watching where you're going. After all, I've now seen you run into two people in the past two days. For a ninja, that's definitely poor skill." He nodded, walking past her, but then stopped. Hideaki glanced back and then at her bags. "Would you like some help?"

"I'm not some useless woman who can't carry her own bags." Ami snapped, picking them all up just to prove her point. She would not look foolish in front of him anymore. "And maybe you should try watching where you're going, since this entire thing was your fault." She said, before turning to walk away. She stopped suddenly when she almost ran into another person, and then stiffened at the barely concealed laugh she heard behind her. Her face burned in embarrassment as she glared back at the brunette, her fists clenched tightly as she tried to keep herself in check. "Shut up." She ordered.

"I didn't say anything, and I never said you were weak." He told her, walking beside her and taking some of the bags from her firm hold. "It's okay to ask for help sometimes. I do it when I need help."

She frowned as he started to walk in the direction she had been headed in, and followed after him. "But I don't need help." She told him.

"Oh but you do, young, rude one." He glanced over at her with a devious grin. "Is it impossible for a kind word to come from your mouth? Because you honestly don't look as mean as you are."

Ami scoffed, glancing off in order to hide her still blushing face. "I apologized earlier, didn't I? That was something kind." She pointed out. Then she sighed, deciding to at least erase the wrong she had done him yesterday. "My name is Ami, by the way. Sabaku no Ami."

"I figured as much." Hideaki smiled, chuckling to himself. "Considering you are Noriaki's cousin and you're not a male, nor do you have pink hair. But, suffice it to say, it is nice to meet you. Though I'm pretty sure I already have, when we were little, you and your family came down for the triplet's birthday…" the brunette paused for a moment. "No…you were mean then too." He chortled.

"Whatever." She huffed. "It's not like you're the first person to say I was rude to them, and you won't be the last. Just don't be such a pansy about it."

Hideaki sighed and shook his head. He decided it probably wasn't worth it to get into a fight with his friend's cousin. Not to mention he'd heard things about this girl from all the Uchihas and how bitter she was about almost everything. Eventually they made it to her grandparent's house. Not wanting to be questioned by any of her family members about this boy, Ami stopped at the end of the sidewalk. "I suppose I should thank you for helping me, despite how unnecessary and unwanted your assistance was." She said, turning to look at him with a bored gaze. "So thanks."

He almost rolled his eyes, but stopped himself. "Don't worry about it." he said, continuing towards the house and knocking on the door loudly, which caused Ami to yell out as her eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" she screeched, running after him, making it just as the door opened and Naruto looked out.

"Hey old Mr. Ramen." Hideaki joked, making the older blonde man beam.

"Well, if it ain't little Hideaki!"

The brunette smiled. "Yes sir," he nodded, offering him the bags. "I was just helping your granddaughter with her bags."

Naruto's smile widened. "You are such a gentleman!" he said, taking the bags before wrapping his arm around his granddaughter. "Little Mimi here always goes a bit crazy when she shops. And she's so clumsy sometimes! She used to come home with all sorts of bumps and bruises, and we never know where she got them from! Isn't that right Mimi?" he asked, shaking her slightly.

Ami glared up at the blonde. Why did he have to open his fat mouth? Now Hideaki would think she was even more of an idiot than she'd already made herself out to be. "Shut up grandpapa!" she said, pushing out of his grasp. "God, is there one person in this miserable place you don't know?" she asked, snatching her bags from him before stomping into the house and up the stairs to go to her room.

The ex-Hokage sighed and looked back to the brunette. "Guess something went wrong during her retail therapy." He shrugged, before smiling once more. "So you wanna come in? Hinata-chan made some of those brownies you like the other day, and there's still some left."

"No thanks. I was just trying to help. But I'll see you tonight, I was invited over for dinner and I know you all are going over to the Uchiha's tonight. So bring some and we can indulge. I can sneak you in some ramen." Hideaki smiled.

"Awesome!" Naruto gave him a thumbs up. "See ya later then!" he waved as he shut the front door. Man, dinner tonight was going to be even better now that he knew he had a friend on the inside.

* * *

Ami stood on the porch of her aunt's house later that night, now wearing a pair of jeans tucked into some nice, brown leather boots, with a tight, grey sweater. Her sister was in a nice yellow dress, and her mother a very similar lavender one. Both of her grandparents were in what they usually wore, looking every bit the retired couple that they were. She glanced down at the cake she'd made earlier that day.

After putting away her new clothes, some of which she was wearing, she had gone into the kitchen to help cook some food for tonight. There was no way they were going to make her aunt cook everything by herself, and so she had made some dessert, her sister a salad, and her mother a casserole. Her grandpapa was holding an old plate of brownies that he insisted on bringing for some reason, and her grandmother held a bag with serving utensils to use during the dinner.

The door opened then, revealing an ebony haired boy about Ayame's age. "Aunt Mina!" he smiled brightly, hugging her quickly, and doing the same to Ayame. He didn't step near Ami, because he knew she had a touching policy. "Come in everyone!"

They entered, going into the living room. Ami's eyes widened and she halted when she saw all of the people. Her mother and grandparents ignored the commotion, heading for the kitchen to deposit their offerings of food. Present was Izayoi's boyfriend , as well as his cousin Hikari, some blonde girl, and Hideaki. She felt her heartbeat pick up. If he was here, there was a one hundred percent chance he would see her do something stupid. Because despite how much control she had over her emotions, it seemed to fly out the window when she was around an Uchiha, no matter which one it was. "I thought it was only supposed to be family." She said softly, her grip on the bottom of her plate tightening as she tried not to freak out at the added guests of the evening. That meant this dinner was only going to take longer.

Hayate laughed. "They are family Mimi!" he said. "Maybe if you came to visit more often you'd know!"

"I love meeting new people!" Ayame said in glee. Her smile widened when her two eldest cousins entered the room. "Namé! Nori!" she exclaimed, shoving her bowl of salad onto her sister before she ran forward and embraced the two. "I missed you guys!"

"Small cousin!" the male triplets beamed, catching their younger cousin in a tight hug as they sandwiched her. "How are you?"

"Wonderful now that I get to see you!" she laughed, hugging them a bit longer before they all separated. "Who are all of these people?" she asked, looking between them at the guests she didn't recognize.

Kanamé pulled Hideaki over and pointed at the slightly surprised brunette. "This is Hideaki, he's one of our best friends, along with Kai." The eldest explained.

Hideaki gave Ayame a warm smile and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, you must be Ayame."

"I am." She smiled at him, shaking his hand in return. "And that's my big sister, Ami." She pointed over to the elder girl, who still looked stunned.

"We met already." She nearly whispered in trepidation.

Ayame looked at her in concern. "Sister, do you need to sit down? You don't look very good." She just shook her head a bit stiffly, before quickly making an exit towards the kitchen to get away from the crowd.

"Well you were right about her freaking out." Kai said from his spot on the couch. "Though I think she's taking it better than you predicted."

"Huh?" Ayame's brow furrowed in confusion. "Nori, you invited everyone here?"

"'Course I did Mae-mae. I saw Mimi yesterday and she was _so_ excited about tonight, I thought I'd make it better by inviting all the close family." He smirked, making Kanamé chuckle as well.

Izayoi giggled from her spot on Kai's lap. "I'm just glad Kai got to come and keep me company."

Kai smiled and nuzzled her affectionately. "I would have come even if I wasn't invited." He said.

Ayame nodded in understanding, feeling a pang of pity for her sister. She absolutely hated family functions and crowded events, so this was like her worst nightmare. Then her teal gaze moved back to Hideaki, intrigue flashing in them. "So how do you know my sister? She's never said anything about you before."

"Oh I pretty much just met her yesterday when she bumped into Nori." He shrugged. "Then she ran into me today and crushed her ice cream cone on my shirt. So, we just had a few run-ins."

"I told you she was a clumsy one!" Naruto's loud voice boomed as he came back into the living room, laughing. "That's probably why she's trying to hide in the kitchen." He said, walking over to them and wrapping an arm around Ayame's shoulders. "Hey, Hideaki, did you bring the stuff?" he asked. "Cause' I brought the brownies."

"Sure did." The brunette laughed, walking over to his bag and fishing out a still hot bowl of Ichiraku ramen with cellophane closed over the top.

Both Noriaki and Kanamé looked at each other before looking at the broth and then their great uncle. "What the hell is that?" they asked together.

Sanosuke smirked. "It's a drug exchange."

Ayame gasped, recognizing it. "Grandpapa! You know you're supposed to cut back on that! It's bad for your heart!" she reprimanded, taking the bowl from the other boy and holding it close to her person. "You just wait until grandmother hears about this." She said, turning on her heel and going to the kitchen.

"But…" Naruto said with a sad, wistful look. "It was beef flavored too…I could smell it."

"It smells like vomit." Ami commented, walking back into the room reluctantly. She stopped off to the side, so that she wouldn't have to be near anyone as she waited to be called in for dinner. "And tastes almost as bad."

"Blasphemy!" the older blonde man pointed at her accusingly. "You just take after Gaara's stuffy side of the family, that's why you don't appreciate good food!" he huffed. "I'm going to go look for the teme." He announced, walking out of the house and towards where the eldest Uchiha lived.

Ami rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not really caring. The boys just laughed, shaking their heads at the argument. Then Noriaki caught a glimpse of white and turned his head till he saw a silvery, white haired female with amethyst eyes. He smirked and caught her wrist, pulling her over towards Ami. "Hey cousin, I want to introduce you to my girlfriend, Hikari." He said, pushing the woman forward slightly.

But before Hikari could say hello, Noriaki was behind her with his arms around her waist and his hands beneath her enormous breasts, lifting them as if they were on display and making Hikari turn a dark red. "These are what a real woman has." He said, enjoying the soft feel.

"Noriaki!" Hikari said, placing her hands on his own and trying to move them.

The auburn haired woman glared icily at her cousin, though she unconsciously brought her arms more forward to conceal her small chest. "Yeah, well at least when I'm sixty my breasts won't be hanging down to my waist." She smirked, covering the hurt she felt at his jab. "So we'll see who looks like a real woman then."

"Pretty damn sure Hikari's gonna still be smoking fine." Noriaki snickered.

"Well if she's smart then she won't still be with a loser like you."

Hikari frowned. "Noriaki is not a loser." She said, moving back into his embrace to reassure him.

Ami looked at her, disinterest clearly written all over her face. "If you believe that, you're not as smart as I gave you credit for. I hope you enjoy disappointment."

"Don't be so bitter because you have no one in your life you can claim as your own Ami." Noriaki snapped, his jade gaze turning into a threatening red glare. "It's not my fault you haven't realized being a bitch is fucking pointless."

The room was silent now, which only seemed to make the tension grow. Izayoi looked between her brother and her cousin, but it was the blonde who spoke as she got between them. "Stop fighting! You're both arrogant douche bags and I've only just met you barely!" the girl huffed, pointing in Ami's face. "Stop being mean for _no_ reason! It's not classy and far from lady-like!" she huffed, her amber gaze almost on fire. "And Noriaki," she snapped, glaring at the dark haired man. "Shut the _hell_ up you retarded instigator!"

"Who the hell are you?" Ami asked, her glare now on the blonde.

Sanosuke walked over and placed his hand on the new girl's shoulder. "This is Talia, and she is _my_ girlfriend." He announced, giving his cousin a warning look.

Ami's eyes widened slightly at the news, before her face seemed to appear more kind. "Sabaku no Ami." She said, holding her hand out. "It's nice to know there's someone out there that can put up with Sano."

Talia still glared at the girl, obviously wary of the sudden change. But she took her hand anyway, "Can you maybe not try to cause a scene, we all know Noriaki is a butt face. You shouldn't let yourself get so riled up. Just cause' you don't have enormo boobs doesn't mean you're not pretty." She continued on, ignoring the shut up nudge Sanosuke was giving her. "Cause' you are, maybe if you smiled more. So just think about it…"

"And you never shut your trap Talia, always throwing in your two cents." Noriaki added.

"Well at least I have two cents, unlike you." the blonde huffed. The two butted heads then, glaring at one another, Talia not backing down despite the fact she was meeting the spinning sharingan head on.

Ami rolled her eyes, something she did a lot around her family, and walked away from the small group. She hated having all the attention on herself anyways, almost as much as she hated being told what to do. Luckily right then her sister walked out and clapped to get everyone's attention. "Okay everyone! Dinner is ready!" she smiled brightly. "So once grandpapa and Sasuke-san get here we can eat."

And leave, Ami thought to herself, looking down to the floor. A pink haired woman walked into the room then, looking around at all the people in her house. She looked tired, most likely because she'd been cooking all day. "Everyone's butt better be in a seat in the next thirty seconds and it better be silently." She warned, staring them all down and daring them to protest.

Everyone did as they were told, taking a seat at the table. Luckily Naruto and Sasuke walked in in time to not be in trouble with Natsumi, and took their seats as well. Ami tried not to show any outward dislike with where she was stuck sitting, since it was between her grandpapa and Ayame, and directly across from Hideaki.

"Dinner looks wonderful sweetheart." Akito told his wife. "As always."

"It smells great too. Thank you so much Aunt Sumi." Ayame smiled.

"Thank you." Natsumi let out a tired breath and opened up her napkin. "Well let's dig in." she gestured, beginning to pile her plate. There was enough food filling the table to be considered thanksgiving. There were platters of meat, with vegetables cooked perfectly and seasoned, along with the things that Ami and her family had brought.

They all filled their plates and began to eat silently. "So Nori, how long have you and Hikari been dating? And what about you Sano? I didn't even know you liked girls." Ayame giggled.

"Well we had sex for the first time about a year and a half ago." Noriaki piped up, food still in his mouth. "And our eleven month anniversary was last Thursday."

Hikari hit him in the arm. "Noriaki! Why do you always have to say things like that? You could have just said eleven months, and her question would have been answered." She said, an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Baby," he grinned, shoving another forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth. "I just like to give everyone a little insight on our fucked up relationship that blossomed into your beautiful love."

She huffed, stabbing some green beans onto her fork and eating them. Sanosuke looked to his younger cousin, assuming that it was his turn to speak. "Talia and I have known one another for a while, and only recently began to see one another romantically. Our three month anniversary is in five days, twenty hours, thirty-nine minutes, and seventeen seconds."

Talia blinked, looking at the boy beside her. "Holy crap! That's _this_ week?"

He glanced at her. "Yes. But we agreed not to do any gift exchanges until our six month anniversary, so it's okay if you forget." He said.

"I didn't _forget_." She huffed, turning a light pink. "Just…" she trailed off as she poked at her peas. "I just lose track of time when I get to spend it with you and you don't want to train and stuff…"

The ebony haired boy reached out and placed his hand over hers, halting her nervous poking. "Talia," he said softly. "It really is okay." He smiled slightly, lifting her hand and kissing the back of it.

Her blush darkened as she giggled, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek a bit timidly, after all, the two hadn't had too much public affection for one another. "We'll do something special, promise."

"I wish I had a boyfriend." Ayame sighed, a dreamy look coming to her face.

Ami raised a skeptical brow. "Why?" she asked. "You should focus on your training for now. A boyfriend will only get in the way and halt your progress."

"Don't be stupid Ami." Natsumi scoffed. "I'm the most powerful woman in the country and if I didn't have Akito, it wouldn't mean anything. It's all about love is what you need to realize." She smiled, looking over at her husband and kissing him. "Right baby?"

"Right baby." Akito said, returning her kiss.

"Well mom and dad started to see one another when they were still teenagers, and no offense mom, but you didn't reach your full potential. I mean, you could have learned so much more from uncle Neji had you spent more time in Konoha than travelling back and forth to see him." The auburn haired girl shook her head.

Sasuke looked over at her. "Just because you say no offense doesn't mean that people don't take offense to your words." He said. "That would be like me saying that you lack the proper skills to handle a social situation of any kind, are sadly uncoordinated when it comes to simple everyday tasks, and are terrible at concealing your true feelings. No offense." He took a sip of his tea without even sparing the fuming girl a glance.

Ami unconsciously bent the fork in her hand with her thumb, her gaze transfixed on her plate. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are mom." She stated, releasing the fork and standing from her seat. "Just tell me when." She turned and walked out of the room then, leaving everyone to themselves.

"Wow." Kai shook his head and looked at his girlfriend. "The drama in your family seems to double when your relatives come to town. I see now why they don't usually visit that much."

"You should see it when they're _all_ here." She sighed, scooting her chair back. "Aunt Tomi and dad go at it like its Ninja War III." Izayoi got up and walked out of the room, following her cousin out. "Ami?" she called, searching around for the girl.

"Out here." She heard softly, coming from the direction of the garden. The ebony haired girl went out back and found her cousin sitting on the porch with her legs crossed, obviously trying to meditate.

"You shouldn't worry about what Noriaki says." Izayoi said as she sat next to Ami, crossing her legs as well and imitating her position. "You know he's just being annoying cause' you let him push your buttons."

Ami sighed, but kept her eyes closed. "I know. I just wasn't expecting him to make fun of my breasts until after dinner." She said. "It caught me off guard."

"As grandpa says, 'you must always be wary of an Uchiha, they always play dirty'." Izayoi smiled, trying not to laugh. "It's still pretty true despite the fact that the Uchiha are now spawned from him."

The other woman smirked. "You have a point." Then her face fell and she sighed. "The only reason I agreed to come on this stupid vacation was because I thought I could sneak off and have time to myself." She admitted, opening her eyes and looking over at her cousin. "Does that make me a terrible person?"

"Are you kidding?" the dark haired girl laughed, meeting Ami's teal gaze. "You don't have to live with them. Trust me, you're lucky you had a sister, cause' boys are insufferable and they stink and talk about sex a lot. I'm pretty sure Sanosuke and Talia are going to do it for the first time on their three month. At least Sanosuke has been asking Noriaki for pointers lately. It's just…gross." She shivered, shaking her head. "Everyone needs some time, but it's always nice to see everyone too."

She shrugged. "I like seeing everyone, just in small doses." Then she smiled as an idea came to her. "Hey, why don't we just go to the spa?" she asked. "We can get our hair done with all those fancy soaps and stuff, and do our nails, and just relax. And it will give you a chance to get away from your brothers."

Izayoi let out a deep sigh, smiling. "That would be amazing. Anbu really kicks your butt three times over, especially with my mom as the head. She thinks because she can do anything everyone else should be able to keep pace."

Ami laughed. "Yeah, its times like that I'm glad my parents aren't as freaky as yours. I mean, Suna Anbu is pretty tough, but neither of my parents head the organization, so I don't have to worry about all that extra stuff."

"I know right. You just get to be badass and like 'I don't give a shit what you say! I assassinated them didn't I?' With my mom she always tells you how you should have done it better, or faster. Especially me and my brother." she laughed, nudging her cousin and then laughing. "You know Hideaki thinks you're bad at pretending to be so mean all the time. He was telling me about how you smashed your ice cream on him. I think he thinks you're cute and funny."

A blush came to the auburn haired girl's face. "Really?" she asked breathlessly, glancing back inside and then back at Izayoi. "But all I ever seem to be able to do when I'm around him is run into people and say stupid things. And you know how I get when I'm embarrassed." She said, reaching back and bringing her ponytail forward, pulling on it repeatedly. "And he's really, _really_ hot…"

Izayoi giggled. "I know. He's so cute and he's so nice. And I think…saying stupid stuff around cute boys is just a girl thing. Everyone seems to do it."

"Does it ever stop?" Ami asked.

"I'm not sure. I know I still say stupid stuff." She leaned forward and looked around the garden, her long black locks falling around her face. "I mean you saw Talia and Sanosuke."

Ami groaned, falling to the side and resting her head on her cousin's shoulder. "Then I'm doomed." She whined.

"Aren't we all?"

They sat like that for a while, enjoying the night until Ami's stomach growled, causing her to sit up. "I didn't really eat much before I left." She commented. Then her eyes widened. "I'm sorry Iza, you didn't have to stay out here with me. Your food's probably cold by now."

"No worries, I can always heat something up. Wanna go back inside?" she asked, placing her hands on either side of her.

She frowned. "Not really, but we should anyways." she sighed, standing along with the ebony haired girl. They walked back to the dining room, where everyone was clearing the table of dinner so they could bring out the desserts.

Minako smiled at the sight of her daughter. "There you are Ami." She said. "We left you and Izayoi some food in the oven so it would stay warm."

Ami smiled slightly. Her mother was so nice to her despite how rude she was sometimes, and it made her grateful that she was so tolerant. "Thanks mama." She said, both her and Izayoi going into the kitchen to grab their food. When they came back out the cake was being handed to everyone, along with scoops of ice cream.

Once everyone was seated again, Natsumi cleared her throat and looked around the table. "In light of all the family and friends being here." She smiled, glad she had everyone's attention. "I was thinking we could spend some time together. All the girls, since we're all going to be family eventually right?"

"Right!" Talia cheered happily, eating another spoonful of ice cream.

"That's a wonderful idea Natsumi-chan!" Minako smiled. "I've wanted to have a girls' day for a while now."

"And we'll be doing something too." Akito spoke up, looking at the guys. "Since the ladies will be occupied."

Ami blinked, pausing in the chewing of her steak. "What are we doing Aunt Sumi?" she asked, swallowing her food. Maybe her aunt just wanted to go to the spa, and since Ami was going to do that with Izayoi anyways, it wouldn't be too bad. She would still get to relax.

"You'll see Ami. It's going to be a blast!"

Both Kai and Hideaki sighed, looking at one another and then at Akito. They really didn't want to spend the day with their best friend's dad and family. "Do _we_ have to?" Hideaki asked.

Kai was about to back him up with another question when they both caught Natsumi's glare and shut their mouths. "Of course you _have_ too." She seethed, her eyes never leaving them. "How many times do you freeloaders come here and make me cook for hours for the endless chasms you call stomachs."

"Not to mention I am allowing you to date my daughter." Akito said, giving Kai a hard look.

He swallowed, not liking being under both of the Uchiha's gazes at the same time. "Okay, I'll be there." He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Don't worry." Then he elbowed Hideaki, wanting him to say something too.

"I'm not being dragged in by guilty association. Hokage-sama is probably just going to maim us." He rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

Natsumi huffed and stabbed her fork into the table. "What makes you think _he's_ the one who's going to maim you?" Natsumi mumbled, giving her husband a commanding look that told him he better fix her deteriorating plans now, or suffer the consequences later.

Akito sighed and looked to the brunette. "If you wish to continue to sleep soundly at night, you will come. Because if you don't, I swear I will go out of my way to make your life a living hell."

"Just say yes." Ami said, taking a bite of her mashed potatoes. "They'll wind up making you do it in the end, so you might as well take the less painful route."

"You talk as if you have experience in it." he chuckled, ignoring the continuous death glare from the Anbu head.

She smirked across the table at him. "Eighteen years of experience." She said, inwardly congratulating herself for saying something smart this time.

Hideaki cracked a smile and shrugged. "Alright fine. I give."

"Oh yay!" Natsumi giggled, instantly happy. "I'm so glad to hear everyone will be coming!"

"So when is our day of fun Aunt Sumi?" Ayame asked happily.

"Tomorrow!"

"Yay!" the young girl cheered.

Ami sighed. "Yeah…yay…" she took one last bite of her dinner.

"That means our guys' day is tomorrow too!" Hayate said happily. "It's gonna be epic!"

Noriaki scoffed. "Do we at least get to beat up Hayate?"

"It'd be more fun if we got to beat up Nori." Sanosuke stated, glancing at his older brother.

"If only you could little brat, you're still a runt." The elder boy spat back, his red sharingan daring his brother to speak again.

Sanosuke looked back at him with equally red eyes. "A runt who's already as fast as you." he challenged.

"Boys." Akito said in a warning tone. "Knock it off."

Hayate blinked. "Well what if we just beat up Kai and Hideaki?" he asked, trying to solve the problem. "It could be a game…like…Uchihas against the Outsiders." He smiled.

"Oh no." Kai shook his head. "I did not sign up for that. If that's what we're doing then I'm not coming."

"You better not damage my property!" Izayoi ordered, giving them all a murderous glare as her Mangekyou swirled around dangerously at her brothers.

"How would you know if it's damaged?" Noriaki growled, meeting her glare with his own beginning to stir.

"I know what my precious Kai's body looks like and I wanna keep it that way!" she ordered.

Noriaki slammed his hands on the table, as did Kanamé, both standing in anger. "You better not know what his body looks like!" they yelled together.

She stood as well, "Oh I know, I know for the very reason you're thinking, cause' we fu-"

"Izayoi!" Kai practically shouted, covering her mouth with his hands as she struggled to free herself.

She mumbled a bit, until she pulled his hands down. "_All_ night long!"

"WHAT?" Akito and Sasuke shouted, standing and glaring with red eyes at Kai. "You are a dead man." They said, their own Mangekyou swirling.

Kai reach out and pulled Talia from her seat, holding her in front of him. "Shield!" he said, hiding behind her.

"Don't touch her you defiler of innocents!" Sanosuke said in outrage, standing and trying to tug Talia away from him.

Talia blinked, looking extremely confused. "But Sanosuke…I thought we were going to…" she trailed off, turning a dark red when she saw all eyes were on her. "You know…" she whispered. "For our anniversary."

Sanosuke turned red. "We _are_." He said softly. "But that's different."

Natsumi gasped and was up as well. "What? Sanosuke! You're still just a baby! You can't do _that_!"

Sanosuke looked over at his mother, half embarrassed and half upset. "What! But Hayate and Chitose are already fooling around!"

The pink haired woman seemed to be having a heart attack, since she clutched the area over her heart and stared at her youngest, totally mortified. "WHAT?" she screamed, turning stark white. "My _baby_ _boy_?"

Hayate's expression mirrored his mother's. "It was just a few times Mommy, I swear!" he said. "And Chichi already has boobs, and they're so nice! I couldn't help it! Besides, Nori started fooling around with girls when he was twelve!"

"Whatever. It's true." The middle twin scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Why are all of my babies so horny?" Natsumi cried out, wiping her hands down her face.

Having enough of this, Ami slammed her hands on the table, shaking the foundation of the house and getting everyone's attention. She stood, giving the Uchihas a hard look. "Please shut up, all of you." she said. "They're all horny because they're yours and uncle Kito's kids Aunt Sumi. I know you two started fooling around at a young age too, because dad told me." She pointed at them. "So everyone just needs to chill out, sit down, and shut up. And turn off your Sharingan, you all look like you popped a blood vessel." She said.

They were all silent, until Natsumi let out an annoyed breath. She picked up her plate and walked into the kitchen, starting the dishes. "Come on." Izayoi huffed, taking Kai's hand and walking out of the room.

Noriaki rolled his eyes and offered his hand down to Hikari, who had been ignoring the whole exchange between the Uchihas. "I'll take you home." He said.

She took it and stood. "Twelve, huh?" she raised a brow as he led her from the room.

Sanosuke sighed. "Come on." He said, grabbing Talia's hand and leaving with her as well.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke announced, turning and leaving the room. Naruto ran out after him.

"Wait for me teme!" he shouted.

Minako stood. "Come help with the dishes girls." She said, picking up a bunch of plates and going into the kitchen. Ayame rose and followed her mother obediently, while Ami stayed and began to make another pile of plates.

"Bunch of freaks." She muttered as she stacked.

Hideaki stood and began to help Ami with the dishes. Akito and Hayate exited the room, leaving the two alone. The only sounds being the clanking of the plates. "Some dinner huh?" he chuckled, glancing up at her.

She smiled slightly, meeting his gaze. "They always are." She said. "Not one family dinner goes by without some kind of argument. And if one did, it certainly wasn't one I was present at." She shook her head.

"Yeah, that's usually how it goes when your family isn't here too. Tonight was particularly vicious. I thought the sharingan powers were going to fly there for a second." He smirked, watching her for a bit before smiling. "You look much prettier when you smile you know." He pointed out as he picked up a large stack of plates and walked into the kitchen.

Ami blinked, momentarily frozen by his compliment. He said she looked prettier when she smiled, so did that mean he thought she was pretty even when she was frowning and being mean? Was what Izayoi told her really true? She'd tried not to freak out too badly about it, but now she couldn't get her racing heart to stop. She shook her head and picked up her stack of plates and silverware before heading into the kitchen, the small blush still on her cheeks.

"Thanks Hideaki." Natsumi smiled, taking the china from the man and then looking back at her niece. "Oh Ami! Thank you, you two are so helpful. My children are so lazy sometimes. They think because they are the grandkids of two of the greatest ninjas they can do as they please." She sighed, shaking her head.

"Well the triplets are all on the same wavelength." Hideaki smirked, "Unfortunately."

Ami set her stack on the counter next to where her mom and aunt were washing the dishes. "And unfortunately, just about everyone in our family is self-absorbed." She said, grabbing some paper towels and a bottle of cleaner. "I'll clean the table and throw the napkins in the wash so you don't have to worry about it Aunt Sumi."

"Thanks sweetie. I made your chocolate cheesecake." The pink haired woman smiled, looking back once more. "I hid it from the boys cause' I know it's your favorite. It's in the fridge behind the calla flour and lettuce."

A genuine smile came to her face, making her look more like her father. "Thanks Aunt Sumi!" she squealed, hugging her aunt quickly. "I'll be sure to snag some to take back to grandpapa's house." She said, turning and leaving the kitchen to go and do her tasks.

Ayame smiled after her sister. "I'm glad Mimi is in a better mood now. She always gets cranky when she goes too long without eating." She said as she loaded the dishwasher.

Hideaki laughed and shook his head as he went back to help Ami finish cleaning. When he entered the dining room, Ami had her back to him and was picking up all of the napkins from the table. She didn't hear him come up behind her, and when she turned to set the cloths in a chair, she bumped into him, dropping the napkins in her surprise. "Sorry." She blushed.

"Don't worry about it." he smiled, bending to help her pick up what she had dropped. Ami happened to do that at the same time though, and their heads collided, making them both wince and straighten, their hands automatically going to the sore spots on their heads.

"Ow." She muttered, her face an even darker shade of red from her embarrassment. "I'm sorry…again."

The brunette just continued to laugh, rubbing his forehead. "I guess I need to maintain a safe zone around you Ami."

The auburn haired girl practically looked like a cherry now. "I don't think it will help." She said softly. "I'm the clumsiest person in my family." She crouched this time and began to gather the napkins, a frown on her face.

He kneeled beside her and tried to get a glimpse of her face. "You descend from the Kazekage line, I'm sure you're not as clumsy as you say and even so, it's kinda cute. It's really annoying when girls are perfect all the time."

She looked up at him, still frowning. "As a Kage's daughter I have to be perfect." She said. "I have a name and an image to uphold, and anything less than perfection is unacceptable." They both rose, having collected all of the scattered napkins. "I'll take those and put them in the wash." She held her hand out for the napkins Hideaki was holding.

He gave them to her, a sad expression coming to his face. "Nobody's perfect. I mean, look at Natsumi-sama, she's a psychopath and she's the daughter of a Kage."

"But she has looks that cover it up and make it okay." Ami countered. "Look, I don't need you to try and make me feel better." She told him. "I accepted the fact that I am the most disappointing grandchild in my family a long time ago. So don't worry about it." she brushed past him and left the room then, off to start the laundry.

Hideaki sighed, shaking his head. Seeing that there wasn't much more he could do to help he went to the front door and slipped on his shoes before heading out. It made him sad to think that his best friend's cousin thought she was the most disappointing grandchild. How could you be the most disappointing child? He headed out, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to figure out what the Uchihas had planned for the next day.


	3. Let the Game Begin

**Oddity**

_Chapter Three_

-Let the Game Begin-

"Alright girls!" Natsumi called, getting the group's attention. After meeting at the Uchiha's house that morning they had gone out to breakfast and enjoyed a nice, quiet meal without anyone cracking a sex joke or trying to throw food in someone else's face. Now they were in a clothing store. It was pretty nice, but none of the girls really understood why they were there.

That is until Natsumi turned around from the counter and called out, "Ta-da!" she giggled, showing off a black, fitted v-neck shirt. They all stared at her absently until Izayoi spoke.

"Okay? What's that for?"

"Well I'm glad you asked, my sweet little flower." The pink haired woman smirked, turning the short sleeved shirt around. On the back, in neat white print, it said 'Queen'. And before anyone else could interject, she picked another one up and tossed it to her daughter. Izayoi looked at the shirt and then the back and saw 'Iza' in the same style print as her mother's. Ami caught hers and saw 'Mimi' on the back of hers.

She looked up at her aunt with a bored gaze as everyone else was tossed a shirt. "We're going to get dirty…aren't we." She stated.

"That only depends." The Anbu head smirked, handing out the rest with their own nicknames on the back. "But I expect perfection from the family. Right, Iza?" she said, looking back at her daughter, who frowned slightly.

"Right Mom…" she sighed, looking over her shirt like it was the most interesting thing ever.

"Now," Natsumi turned back around and handed out matching black shorts, different length so that they could all choose what they wanted. Talia bounced happily, appearing excited.

"This is gonna be _awesome_."

Ami sighed. "Maybe to you." she grumbled, deciding to go with a shorter pair. If they were doing anything she thought they were doing, then shorter shorts would be best so as not to get in the way. They all went back into the changing area of the store and put on their outfits then, emerging around the same time.

Ayame smiled. "These are really cute Aunt Sumi." She said, looking at herself in one of the mirrors. Minako nodded in agreement with her daughter.

"Yes they are."

"It's going to be so fun. I know you'll all enjoy it. Plus we get to enjoy the gorgeous day and the outdoors!" Natsumi cheered and then started to laugh manically. "And finally I will be in the lead and this tie will end!"

Hikari frowned. "Tie for what?" she asked.

"_Really_?" Izayoi growled, glaring at her mother. "_That's _what this is all about?"

"What?" Talia asked.

Natsumi simply waved them off, smiling happily. "Oh, just Akito and I have this little…never ending competition of wins going on. We're tied at one eighty-seven even and this is the perfect event to pull me ahead."

Minako shook her head. "You and Akito-kun never change." She chuckled.

Ami gave her aunt a hard look. "Why is it that we all have to suffer from yours and uncle Kito's psychotic need to be the best?"

"Oh hush." The elder woman huffed, grabbing the bag and heading out. "You know you all have a blast when we play our games."

The group of women followed her, though Hikari and Talia were still confused. That is until the pale haired woman snapped her fingers, a smile coming to her face. "Oh! So that's what Noriaki meant when he was telling me about the stuff you guys play!" she said. "He never let me come along because he said something stupid about not wanting my 'luscious lady curves' to be damaged in any way." She rolled her eyes. "This is going to be fun."

Ayame nodded. "Sports are one of the best ways for families to bond." She said.

Izayoi simply shook her head. "It's a lot more violent than you think. He probably just didn't want you to get hurt."

"Oh don't scare them off now little princess." Natsumi chuckled.

"She couldn't if she tried!" Talia cheered, clapping her hands together.

Ami snorted. "As if you would be playing. You'd get killed."

The blonde frowned, looking very upset. "What? I don't get to play? That's not fair."

"Sorry Talia, but you won't be able to play."

"But…why?"

Natsumi stopped for a moment and met sad amber eyes. "Because I need a referee who can't be affected by genjutsu."

This made everyone stop and give the blonde girl surprised looks, except for Izayoi. "You're not affected by genjutsu?" Ami asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"How come?" Ayame's look was similar to that of her sister's.

She simply shrugged. "It was my dad's kekkei genkai. I guess I must have gotten it from him."

The pink haired woman nodded. "She's a very special girl, that's for sure."

"So when are you going to tell us what game you and Akito-kun picked for us to play?" Minako asked.

Natsumi snickered, stopping when they finally came up to a large baseball diamond, without the backstop. Izayoi arched a curious brow, "I don't get it."

"Kickball!" The pink haired woman declared happily, since now all the girls were dressed in matching attire.

"YES!" Ami actually cheered. "I'm gonna dominate." She declared, a somewhat evil and psychotic look coming to her face. Her cousins may be fast, but none of them could kick the ball as far as she could, and even their speed wouldn't be able to match that of a projectile set in motion by her monstrous strength.

The two looked triumphant. "That's right Ami. We're going to _dominate_. With all that power and my speed, we'll be unstoppable. Not to mention my ace." Natsumi snickered looking at her daughter.

The dark haired girl shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Man…why do I always have to play that card?"

"Because it always works." Minako said with a nod.

Natsumi agreed with her sister in law. "Everyone but one of them."

Izayoi shook head, walking off to the field and looking around at the set up. Talia looked over and nearly broke the sound barrier. "Sano!" she called when she saw the boys, who were all wearing white v-neck shirts. The blonde ran over to them and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, snuggling into his chest. "It's about time!"

Sanosuke smiled slightly and returned her embrace. "Well we had to go and pick up Chitose to make the teams even." He explained.

"I don't see the point." Sasuke sighed, making his way towards the group of women. "I can already tell you who's going to come out the victor."

"And who's that grandfather?" Izayoi asked, stopping beside him and giving him a gorgeous smile.

Sasuke stopped and gently cupped her chin, the corner of his mouth tilting up a bit. "I think we both know the answer to that little flower." He responded. "Best to let your parents play though, so that the win is legitimate."

"Yeah…" she sighed. "You know how they are."

Talia smothered Sanosuke's face with kisses, wrapping her arms around his neck and then leaning closer to his ear. "I hope you win Sano." She whispered.

"Thanks." He said, pulling back enough to give her a chaste kiss. He reached up and threaded his fingers into her hair, holding her head in place.

Hikari watched the interaction of the young couple and smiled, before moving her gaze to her lover. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Looks like I get to play this time." She said, resting her chin on his breastbone and looking up at him.

"I would appreciate it if you sat out." Was Noriaki's only reply as his serious jade green depths bore through her.

"Only if you do." She countered.

"I can't. My father needs me to win. Besides, I'm used to these games." He smirked, cupping her cheek before he pulled away from her. "And I don't want my property getting damaged." Noriaki grinned, grabbing her breast in his free hand.

Hikari rolled her eyes as she batted away his hand. "Well if you can persuade someone on your team to sit out, then I will." She said. "Otherwise you'll just have to make sure I don't get damaged. You know how reckless I can be sometimes." She smirked, before turning and walking back towards her team.

The Uchiha glared after her and then let out an annoyed sigh. "Hideaki!" he yelled, still watching his woman.

"What?" the brunette yelled back.

"Sit out and Hikari won't have to play."

"Are you out of your damn mind?" he scoffed. "I've been dying to play the Uchiha Games."

Noriaki glared back at his friend and then looked at Kai. "Then you sit out Kai."

The grey eyed man scoffed. "Please. This is like an induction ceremony into the family, I'm not just going to pass it up."

"I'll sit out." Kanamé offered.

"Shut up Kanamé, don't make stupid suggestions like that." Noriaki growled and walked off. Izayoi laughed under her breath and shook her head at her brother.

Akito clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright, enough chatter." He said. "Talia, you're spot as the referee is right there," he pointed off to the side of the field. "And my father will be pitching the ball for both teams." He tossed the red ball he had been holding to Sasuke. Then his deep green gaze moved to Natsumi, and he smirked. "Now, the ladies can pick where they want to be first, though it won't make much of a difference as to who wins in the end."

"Is that so?" Natsumi arched a delicate brow, resting her hands on her hips.

"It is so." He replied. "Kai and Hideaki would not dare fail me after I was gracious enough to allow them the opportunity to prove themselves to us." He turned and gave both boys a hard look. "Right?"

Kai nodded emphatically. After what the Hokage had discovered last night about him and Izayoi, he was going to do whatever it took to get back in his good graces. "Right." he said.

Hideaki simply shrugged. "I don't really care. I just know they're fun and hard. But I don't wanna lose."

Talia giggled, still clinging onto Sanosuke. "This is going to be so fun! I get to ref Sano!"

"And you'll be great at it." he said warmly.

"Can we just start already?" Ami asked impatiently, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm ready to kick some ass."

Talia kissed Sanosuke one more time before running off to her place. Izayoi glanced over at Kai, letting a small smirk grace her features as he walked over to her. She met his gaze with her own, setting her hands on her hips. "Come to wish me good luck?" she asked sweetly.

He smiled down at her. "Actually I was hoping you'd wish me good luck." He said, placing his hands over hers and leaning down to steal a quick kiss. "Cause' I know you'll do great baby."

Izayoi giggled, kissing him once more. "Good luck sweetie…I'm gonna demolish you." She whispered, touching her fingers to his cheek.

"Come on Iza!" Natsumi shouted, stomping her foot on the ground. The dark haired girl shook her head and smirked, pulling away from Kai and walking back to her mother and the girls. "Alright, here's the plan…" the pink haired woman explained as they huddled together.

Kanamé and Noriaki stood beside one another, their arms crossed in mirrored stances. "Mother is too confident about this." Kanamé frowned.

Noriaki nodded, "I sensed that too. I wonder what she's up too."

"Whatever it is I bet it's genius." Hayate said, stopping next to his elders. "Cause' mommy is very smart."

"It doesn't bode well, that's for sure." Sanosuke commented, glancing at Akito, who was talking to Kai and Hideaki about how they usually played their games. "Father is either ignoring it, or is sure that we can defeat whatever scheme she has come up with this time."

The brothers all nodded simultaneously and then they heard a whistle and looked over at Talia. "Alright! Everyone get to your positions! The girls are kicking first so boys get to your places in the field."

Everyone spread out, going to their designated spots. As the fastest, Sanosuke was put behind the pitcher's mound in order to be able to run after the ball and try to catch it. Hideaki was on first base with Kai on second, Akito on third, and Hayate on home, leaving Kanamé and Noriaki in the outfield. The girls lined up behind home plate, and Hikari walked up to kick first. Sasuke activated his sharingan and glanced around to make sure everyone was ready, before pulling his arm back and rolling the ball with much speed towards the pale haired woman. Knowing that her best bet was to keep it away from the Uchihas, she kicked the ball off towards the area between third and second base, only using enough force to get it rolling, so that they would have to run to the ball.

The second her foot touched the rubber, Hikari made a dash for first base. She was going to make it there and help win this game, therefore proving to Noriaki that she wasn't some delicate creature that didn't know how to play rough. Sanosuke and Akito both went for the ball, nearly colliding with one another before the elder snatched it up and threw it towards Hideaki. But by the time the brunette caught it, Hikari had already slid to a stop before him, her foot touching the base.

"Safe!" Talia called out, smiling in her love of being the ref.

Izayoi stepped up to the plate, pulling her long locks back and tying them up in a messy bun. She searched around the field, her crimson gaze studying everyone's moves. She smiled then, stepping back as she watched her grandfather. "Alright Grandfather, I'm ready whenever you are."

Sasuke smiled, shaking his head as he pitched the ball perfectly for his favorite grandchild. She moved her fingers, meeting Kai's gaze for only a moment before she ran forward and kicked the ball with expert precision. It sailed high and Kai watched it go up, then he heard Noriaki yell out, "Look out moron!"

Too late, Kai glanced down and was smacked right in the face with the real ball, causing him to fall backwards slightly before he steadied himself. The ball bounced on the ground and by the time he grabbed it and was back in his position, Hikari was already on second while Izayoi stopped at first.

She smirked triumphantly and blew him a kiss. "Sorry baby!" Izayoi winked as the girls cheered.

"Are not." He pouted, rubbing his stinging nose. "I didn't expect a genjutsu to be your first hat trick. Guess I'll just have to resist staring at your beautiful face." he smiled.

"Good luck with that sweetie." Izayoi smiled, practically beaming from her success.

Chitose walked up to the plate to take her turn then, and Hayate gave her a big smile. "Good luck Chichi!" he said sincerely. "I know you're gonna do great."

"Thanks!" she giggled, hugging him tightly. "I hope I don't mess up. You won't be too rough on me, will you Hayate?" Chitose asked, her sparkling sapphire eyes meeting his kind sharingan.

He gasped at the thought. "I would never hurt you Chichi!" he declared, returning her embrace. "When I get you out, it will be with a gentle touch."

The brunette smiled, kissing his cheek and faced Sasuke then, giving him a warm smile. "Alright Sasuke-sama! I'm ready!" she told him. The elder Uchiha rolled the ball straight towards her and instantly the young girl's face changed into one of seriousness. She stepped forward and aimed her kick, but just grazed the top making it roll almost two feet away from her.

Noriaki started laughing from the outfield and it was obvious Kanamé was doing his best not to as well. Then, she started crying, or at least it looked like she was crying because she covered her face with her hands and began to sniff. Hayate's eyes widened and he was beside Chitose in a second, wrapping his arms around her. "Chichi! It's okay! I thought you did great!" he tried to appease her, beginning to run his fingers through her hair.

Chitose sniffed, burying her face in his chest until she smirked and swept her leg beneath Hayate, pushing him to the ground before she took off. "Sorry Hayate!" she yelled back, looking worried until he flipped up.

"Get the ball you moron!" Noriaki shouted.

"Chichi, that was brilliant tactics!" Hayate shouted with a smile as he quickly grabbed the ball and threw it with all of his might towards Kai. But by the time the older man had caught it, Chitose was already on first base, with Izayoi on second and Hikari on third. "I'm so proud of you!"

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "God he's an idiot." He muttered.

Natsumi smirked and looked at the field, trying not to let her confidence radiate _too_ much. She glanced to her side and nodded to Ami for her to go. "You know what to do."

Ami nodded and smirked as well, activating her byakugan. Her face went blank as she walked up to the plate and stood there as if she didn't really care. Over on third base, Akito cursed as things began to fall into place. Now it made sense as to why Natsumi had been so sure that she would win. The damn woman had manipulated everything to her advantage. No matter, he would just have to come up with a way to foil her plan.

It was too late though, because by the time he had emerged from his thoughts, the ball was already rolling towards the auburn haired girl with speed. "Somebody put her in a genjutsu!" he yelled, though Ami's gaze was on the ground. With her kekkei genkai activated, she wouldn't need to look directly at anyone to see what they were doing, and she would notice if their chakra flared up, so if they tried to pull anything she could have a small warning.

As the ball got closer, Ami sent some chakra to her leg and foot and kicked it with all of her might, sending it flying through the air faster than any of the Uchiha's sharingan could catch it. When it disappeared from everyone's sight, she let her triumphant smirk reappear and slowly began to walk towards first base.

"Grand slam!" Talia called out to them. The girls began to cheer as the ones out on the bases ran for home. Once they were all rounded back up they began cheering in a large group. Natsumi blew her husband a kiss and waved at him from home plate. "That's four to zip baby!"

The Uchiha glared back at her. "You just wait until it's our turn to bat!" he said, before glaring out at his team just as Kanamé returned with the ball, since he'd had to run far. "If you don't get the next three players out you will be suspended from Uchiha games indefinitely!" he threatened.

Ami rolled her eyes at her uncle. Did he not realize that he had all but two of the Uchiha's on his team? Suddenly she felt arms around her and looked down to see the top of her sister's head. "Good job Mimi!" she cheered.

"Thanks." Ami smiled slightly, patting Ayame on the top of the head as she returned the embrace with one arm. After a few seconds she gently pushed her sibling off, uncomfortable with prolonged contact, especially in front of everyone.

Finally, the cheers died down and Natsumi stepped up to the plate only making Akito look angrier. She smirked, returning her gaze to Sasuke. "Alright Sasuke lets do this."

"Fuck that!" Noriaki yelled. "That's not fair mom! You can't go!"

"Noriaki watch the language!" the pink haired woman scolded, her gaze narrowing at her son.

"I agree with Nori." Sanosuke crossed his arms. "Let aunt Mina and Ayame go before you."

Hayate stepped up next to his mother. "Quit whining! You're all just upset because mommy outsmarted you!" he declared.

Akito gave his youngest a hard look. "Hayate, which side are you on?" he asked.

"The fun side!" the boy said, sticking his tongue out at his father.

"Aw…" Natsumi smiled evilly, "are my babies and hubby scared they're going to lose?" the taunt stopped any and all complaining. She readied herself as Sasuke rolled the ball as fast as he could towards his daughter-in-law. Natsumi stepped forward and hit the ball with perfect accuracy, sending it high and over the basses to the outfield. The second the ball was sent off she ran, already passing second as the ball began its descent. Noriaki laughed as he ran beneath the red ball and jumped to catch it. But just as it touched his fingertips, Natsumi moved her hand and a wisp of sand shoved it back, causing it to fall behind him.

The dark haired man cursed and grabbed it, hurtling it towards home. Natsumi had already made it to the plate by then, and tapped it with her foot before catching the ball herself. "Safe!" Talia giggled, watching the male Uchiha begin to boil. Even Kai and Hideaki looked really annoyed.

"Five to zero."

Minako walked up to the plate then, her byakugan already activated. Sasuke rolled the ball towards her, and she kicked it in Kai's direction, surprising him. Was this woman stupid or something? Just as he left the base to quickly grab the ball and tag her out, the elder Sabaku whirled past him in a quick flash. Kai snatched the ball up and hurled it towards Hideaki, who caught it just as the ebony haired woman stopped on the base. Everyone looked to Talia to see what her call was.

The blonde girl gave them a thumbs up and smiled at the girls, who cheered. Ayame walked up to the plate then, a smile on her face as she activated her byakugan. Sasuke rolled the ball towards her, and when she kicked it, it flew up into the air. Ever the optimist, the auburn haired girl ran towards fir base as her mother flash stepped to third. What neither was counting on, however, was for Hideaki to run and jump up, catching the ball. Before Minako could make it back to second the brunette placed his foot on the base, getting both Sabakus out.

"See that?" Akito asked his team, pointing to Hideaki as he tossed Sasuke the ball. "That's how it's done!" he told them, making Sanosuke roll his eyes.

"Thank you sir." Hideaki nodded to the Hokage, practically glowing with the praise he was getting. Both Kanamé and Noriaki grimaced, looking over at each other, their auras darkening. As glad as they were for their friend, the Uchiha boys weren't too happy about the praise they weren't getting. They locked gazes and nodded, their sharingan swirling into a much more complex design.

Izayoi stepped up to the plate once more and stretched out, getting ready and obviously searching for her next plan. She met Kai's gaze once more and giggled when he forced himself to avoid it. "I still love you sweet salt and pepper!"

"Love you too!" he called back, though continued to look away.

Sasuke pitched to Izayoi and she kicked it as far as she could. It went to the outfield, but before her brothers could catch it her sand hit it out of their grasp. She was already running towards first, and then passed Kai. Her smile grew until she felt something change in the air. She jumped back, barely avoiding the twisted void. Noriaki stared at the spot between first and second and waited before sending his Mangekyou towards his sister.

Izayoi stumbled back, losing her concentration as Kanamé caught the ball before it hit the ground. "Looks like that's three outs Iza." The eldest triplet smirked, high fiving his brother as they celebrated.

"Excellent work boys." Akito smirked, walking towards home. "Now we can take the lead."

The guys headed after him, the two smirking as they passed their sister. She glared at him, "Assholes."

Noriaki chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't hate the player Iza, hate the game."

She rolled her eyes and took second, since she was closest. Natsumi walked up to her husband, giving him a devious smile as she touched her finger to his jaw. "Remember what I get when I win baby." She purred, biting down on her lower lip.

Akito lightly gripped her chin and returned her smirk. "You mean when _I_ win." He corrected, giving her a chaste kiss. "And I get to torture you." he slid his thumb along her jaw then.

"Oh God, can you two wait and get freaky after the game?" Ami grumbled, walking past them and taking Hayate's place at home base.

The pink haired woman giggled, kissing Akito tenderly. "I love you honey."

"I love you too baby." He said. "Now quit holding off your inevitable demise." He snickered, smacking her rear playfully as he shooed her towards the field.

She huffed. "Don't make me hurt you." Natsumi shook her head, though she couldn't help but smile as she took the spot Sanosuke had been.

Noriaki and Kanamé glanced over at their father. "So what's the plan dad?" they asked together.

"Here's what we're going to do." Akito said, gathering all of the boys towards him. "We have to get at least four points. If we tie the game, we get the chance to kick again." He looked at his eldest sons. "You two will be going first. Kanamé will kick, and while he does that, I want Noriaki to put Chitose in a genjutsu." He said, since the Inuzuka girl was now the first baseman.

Hayate looked to his brother, for once no humor on his face. "Not a bad one Nori." He warned, activating his Mangekyou.

Noriaki's was already swirling back to their dangerous form. "I'll do whatever I see fit to win this game Hayate. Don't be so fickle for a woman."

"Like you can talk." Hideaki scoffed.

The youngest Uchiha's gaze turned hard. "If you do something bad to her, I'll do something twice as bad to Hikari." He threatened.

"Stop this." Akito said, placing a hand on Noriaki's chest to keep him from attacking his younger sibling. "We are going to win this game, no matter the damages. Everyone knew coming into this that they could get hurt. So there will be no fighting over protecting your women. Are we clear?" he asked, looking around the group of boys.

"So Natsumi-sama is fair game?" the brunette smirked, crossing his arms as he arched a curious brow.

Akito chuckled. "I doubt you could do anything to hurt her." he said. "But the fact of the matter is, we are not trying to hurt them, only prevent them from winning. Now, back to business." He clapped his hands. "After Kanamé goes, Noriaki will kick. By then we should have two bases loaded. Next, Sano will go." He looked to his middle child. "As the fastest, he should be able to make it to third base, if not home plate, depending on how quickly Kanamé and Noriaki get there. And by the end of that, we'll have three points." He explained.

"And after that Hideaki and I can go, right?" Kai asked, eager to prove his worth.

Sanosuke snorted. "The goal here is to win." He said. "So my father and Hayate will probably go next."

"You know brat, we _are_ in Anbu." Hideaki glared.

Sanosuke glanced at him. "But you're not Uchiha." He stated, as if that explained everything.

"Now Sano," Akito interjected. "We have to be fair. Once you've gone, Hideaki will go. Then Kai, and then myself. I will get a home run, bringing in everyone, and getting us another three points." He said confidently. "That puts us in the lead with six. And if not, Hayate will still make it to a base and get us some points."

They all nodded and Kanamé stepped up to the plate. "Let's do this grandfather." He said, nodding as he readied himself. Noriaki lifted his hand to his lips and whistled loudly, making Mai bark at Chitose's side. The brunette looked over and gave Noriaki a hard glare.

"Stop antagonizing Mai!" she yelled at him, shaking her head. Noriaki smirked, his mission already accomplished.

Kanamé kept his own victorious grin off his expression and kicked the ball straight. It flew between second and first, but the only thing that everyone registered was Chitose's ear shattering scream. Kanamé took off and touched first, as she grabbed her head and cried. Natsumi hissed and took off after the ball, grabbing it and throwing it towards her daughter.

Izayoi caught it only too late, since Kanamé was almost to third. She threw it to Hikari, but Kanamé slide to a stop and touched the base before the white haired woman could tag him out. "Safe!" Talia called.

"Excellent." Akito smiled. Thing were going even better than he had projected.

"What did you do to Chichi?" Hayate shouted angrily, marching up to his older brother, his sharingan spinning dangerously.

"Hayate, calm down." Ami said, not wanting her cousin to blow things out of proportion. Besides, she knew Noriaki would never purposefully hurt the girl, despite how badly he wanted to win. Her youngest cousin was just a bit overprotective when it came to his love. They all were, as a matter of fact. It must be an Uchiha thing.

"Stay out of this Mimi." He warned lowly, not even sparing her a glance.

Noriaki only grinned evilly, "Relax baby brother. Why don't you listen to her?" he gestured towards Chitose. Hayate's grimace twitched into a sneer, but he looked over at Chitose and finally listened to what she was yelling about.

"All my flowers! All my gorgeous flowers are snapped off!"

The middle twin laughed. "I just showed her coming into the flower shop and seeing all the flower heads cut off, leaving barren grass."

Hayate blinked, all hostility disappearing from his countenance in a second. "Oh." He laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that then. Good luck." He said, patting Noriaki on the shoulder and walking off like nothing had happened.

Ami rolled her eyes. "You're all freaks." She said to her cousin.

Noriaki cracked his neck, stretching out his limbs as he walked to home plate. Izayoi's gaze narrowed as she watched her most vicious brother. By now, Chitose had shaken from her genjutsu thanks to Izayoi, and was giving the Uchiha triplet a murderous stare. Even Mai snarled, waiting for her chance to rip him apart for hurting her master.

Natsumi walked back and forth in her position, watching her son's movements and trying to decipher where he would try and hit and what he would try and accomplish. The dark haired man stepped back and readied himself. Sasuke rolled the ball towards his grandson and Noriaki ran forward, kicking the red ball with so much force it formed around his foot for a moment. It flew forward, not as fast or hard as Ami's had, but it was pretty darn fast.

It headed straight for Ayame, who was in the outfield with her mother. Noriaki's sharingan bled into a dark pattern and he focused on the ball, causing the rubber to ignite with black flames. Ayame, who was about to catch it, screamed, but Izayoi was already running at her and fixated her gaze on the ball. "Oh God please work!" her eyes widened and the bal disappeared for a moment before sailing out of nowhere behind Ayame and falling to the ground, the black flames no longer circling it.

By now Kanamé had already touched home base and Noriaki was passing third, smacking Hikari on the butt as he jumped on home. "HELL YES!" he shouted, the triplets high fiving one another.

"Well done my sons." Akito came up and clapped them both on the back, a proud smile on his face. "I knew I chose right in sending you both first."

They both looked at their father and smiled, for the first time showing their mother's side. "Thanks Dad."

Sanosuke walked up to the plate with a bored gaze. Sasuke smirked, knowing that his grandson would do him proud as he rolled the ball towards him. Just as the ball reached him, his sharingan changed and he glanced at Hikari, meeting her gaze for only a moment before sending the ball quickly in her direction. Then he sped off towards the bases, touching first before anyone knew that the pale haired woman was unable to get the ball.

Natsumi growled and went for the ball herself, and seeing that his mother now had it, the ebony haired boy stopped on second base. Best not to push his luck and try and go for third. Akito's victorious smile widened, especially when Hikari shrieked, still caught in the genjutsu.

"Oh my God! No way!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as tears began to form in her violet eyes.

Noriaki's blissful look vanished. He walked over to his love and touched his finger to her forehead, tilting her head back. He grabbed her face and stared into her eyes, dispelling the genjutsu she'd been placed in. "It's alright." He said, trying not to sound so angry.

Hikari blinked, before realizing that she was back in reality. She began to wipe at her eyes, embarrassed for having been so susceptible. "I'll be okay." She tried to reassure him, giving him a shaky smile. "It wasn't bad."

"What was it?" he ordered, his gaze narrowing. "How bad it was will determine how bad Sano will be punished for doing such a thing to you."

"It was noth-" she stopped mid-sentence at the look Noriaki was giving her and sighed. "You…proposed." She admitted, looking down. "I should have known it wasn't real, I mean, we talked about that and I know how you feel about marriage and I understand." She rambled, glancing up at him. "So it wasn't really bad…depending on how you look at it."

He grimaced, his threatening glare shifting to his brother. Hideaki and Kai held in their laugh, "Nori's pissed."

Kanamé shook his head and watched Noriaki march over to Sanosuke and strike him over the head. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled.

"What?" Sanosuke glared, rubbing the spot where he'd been hit. "I did what I saw fit in order to win the game, _and_ I didn't hurt her. Wasn't it you who said not to be so fickle for a woman?" he raised a brow.

"I am _not_ fickle. I am strong and that's why you better keep your eyes away from Hikari's gorgeous amethysts. Do you understand me? Do it again and I will rip Talia's pretty little eyes right out so it won't matter that she's not effected by genjutsu." He sneered.

The younger Uchiha's glare turned deadly. "If you so much as think about it I will fucking kill you." he seethed, butting foreheads with his brother.

Akito pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is why it's better when the teams are intermixed." He muttered. "Natsumi, deal with our sons before they get violent." He waved towards them, since she was closer, and were more likely to listen to her in this case.

"You couldn't kill me if you tried _little_ brother. You may be fast, but I will burn you alive." Noriaki snapped back, butting his head back.

"Not if I cut off your hands." He countered. "What's the big deal anyways Nori?" he asked. "You're so afraid of commitment that an _illusion_ ticks you off? It was either that or show her an image of you with another woman, except _that_ one is believable."

Everyone froze at Sanosuke's words, and even the young Uchiha realized that he had crossed the line. Hikari ran over to her stunned boyfriend, gripping his arm and trying to pull him away from his younger sibling. "Noriaki, don't listen to him. It's okay." She said, really just wanting to prevent a fight.

Noriaki shoved her back, though it wasn't even enough to make her stumble. "At least I can tell Hikari that I love her. Unlike you, you soulless Sasuke wanna-be."

Natsumi's eyes widened and it seemed the tension grew even thicker. "Noriaki." She said sternly, though it was still quiet.

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to be one hundred percent positive!" Sanosuke yelled defensively. "And at least Talia knows that I would never cheat on her. Can you say that for certain about Hikari? Huh?" At the silence that followed his question, he smirked. "You're going to need to work on your fear of commitment if you want to keep her around. You saw her reaction to my genjutsu. When it comes down to it, she wants a ring on her finger, whether or not it's from you."

Akito frowned. "Sanosuke." he reprimanded.

"How much more sure could you be? She's your _only_ friend and she does everything for you. Especially put up with the fact you think training is more important than spending time with her." Noriaki spat out. Talia's eyes widened slightly and she looked over at Sanosuke, hurt flashing across her face.

"What?" she almost whispered.

But Noriaki heard her, he glanced back slightly and derided. "He's not forced to train, he just tells you that he 'has' to because he considers it higher on the priority list."

"You bastard!" Sanosuke shouted, taking his brother's momentary distraction as an opportunity to punch him in the jaw, though it only made Noriaki laugh as he straightened. He looked at Talia and his eyes widened when he saw her running away from the field. "Talia, wait!" he called after her. Seeing that she wouldn't stop, he used his superior speed to get in front of her and stop her retreat. "You don't understand! It's not like that!" he said earnestly, holding her upper arms to keep her in place.

"You're lying!" she sobbed out, unable to stop the sound. "I knew you liked training better then hanging out with me! And when I asked you to go to my aunt's birthday and you wouldn't cause' Sasuke-sama said you 'needed' to sharpen your skills or else you would die. Now let me go!" she ordered, sniffing, trying to appear strong. "I want to go home! I don't wanna play anymore."

"No." he said, taking a deep breath. "I said that because I hate people and I didn't want to go." He admitted. "But the reason that I told you I had to train and stuff…well in the beginning it was because training was still really important to me…but now it's because…I'm scared." He admitted softly. "I've never cared for anybody as much as I do you, and it freaks me out. And I want to tell you that I…you know…but that's a big step, and I can't promise that I won't hurt you in the future, but I don't want to hurt you, because you're not supposed to hurt the one you…you know…so I decided to try to train as much as possible to try and figure everything out." He explained in a bit of a jumbled rush.

Talia pulled out of his grasp and shook her head. "You still can't even say it." She sighed, wiping her cheeks. "I've known you since I was seven years old Sanosuke. You're my best friend and I know that I love you. So I don't understand, so just leave me alone right now because I don't want to see you. Stop following me and just whatever, and don't creep on my house like you usually do." she said with finality. She turned away from him and walked off, covering her face with her hands so she didn't start to cry again.

"Well, well, well." Noriaki said from beside his brother as he wrapped an arm around Sanosuke's neck. "Looks like you're in the dog house and it appears I'm more trustworthy than your lying ass. Because you were wrong about one thing _brother_." He sneered the name. "Unlike you, I am honest with Hikari, and she knows without a doubt now that I would never lose her, nor betray her. Because she is mine." He said sharply, shoving his brother a bit before walking back to Hikari. "Come on, let go get some lunch, I'm tired of my family."

"So am I." Hikari said, watching Sanosuke sulk off. Glancing at Noriaki, she turned and began to walk away from him, obviously peeved.

Noriaki blinked and followed after her with a lost look on his face. "Baby? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why does everything have to be a competition with you?" she asked, stopping and giving him a stern look. "So Sanosuke upset you, you didn't have to make it your goal to piss him off even more. And then you went and upset Talia and caused a rift in her and Sanosuke's relationship. On purpose." She hit him in the arm. "I like her, you know, and that was just low, even for you. And it hurts me that you're so angry about the idea of marriage being planted in my head. Because what Sano showed me was beautiful. So for now, I think I'm in the same boat as Talia." She declared, resuming her walk in the direction of her house.

He glared after her, his anger beginning to boil even more. "Fine! Go home, see if I care. And I didn't _cause_ a rift, I just showed them it was there." Seeing that she wasn't bothering to listen to him, he practically exploded, a spark of fire igniting around him as he breathed out. "Whatever, fuck you all." He growled out and walked off, disappearing in a swirl of sand.

Izayoi sighed and shook her head. "Well this was a _great _idea." She grumbled sarcastically.

"Does this mean I win?" Natsumi wondered, looking up at her husband, who was now beside her.

Akito looked back down at her and frowned. "Unfortunately…"

"Well your team is the one who started everything." Sasuke pointed out, bouncing the ball. "So Natsumi wins by default. Besides, you only got two points in, and she has four." Then he turned and began to walk off. "I'm going home."

"I'm going to have tea with grandfather." Izayoi informed them, walking after the elder Uchiha. "You coming Kai?" she asked over her shoulder.

Kai smiled and ran to catch up with her. "Of course baby." He said, wrapping his arm around her waist as they followed the Uchiha patriarch.

Hayate ran over to Chitose and grabbed her hand. "Come on Chichi, let's go on a lunch date!"

"But what about Hikari? And Talia?" she questioned, being led off anyways.

Natsumi let out a tired breath and grabbed Akito's hand. "Come on, we've got a lot of paperwork to finish for the Chuunin and Anbu missions."

Akito nodded and laced his fingers with hers before they both disappeared in a swirl of sand. Hideaki and Ami stood there with Ayame and Minako. "I think I'm going to avoid the Uchiha house for a couple days." the brunette chuckled, looking over at Ami. "Nice kick by the way."

"Thanks." She gave him a small smirk. "You should see what I can do with my hands, it's even more impressive." Then her eyes widened when she realized her words could be taken in a different context. "You know…when I'm pounding people…I mean hitting them…" her face was turning red at this point, and she laughed embarrassedly. "I think I'm going to get some lunch." She waved in an attempt to dismiss everything she had just said.

Minako perked up. "We'll go with you!" she said, grabbing Ayame's hand as both Sabakus made a move to join her. "We can get Ichiraku!"

"Did I say lunch? I meant that I'm going to go to the hot springs. But you two have fun!" the auburn haired girl practically ran off the field to get away from them.

The ebony haired woman shook her head and sighed. "That child is so odd sometimes."

Ayame giggled. "I think she likes you." she winked at Hideaki. "Cause' I've never seen her act this way around someone before."

"Is that so?" Hideaki grinned, chuckling softly. "Well as it would have it I find her pretty alluring myself, though that mouth is a bit off sometimes with the rudeness." he smirked, making Ayame giggle and nod.

"Well I'm hungry so if you ladies would like some ramen I would love to buy you some." the brunette smiled, ruffling his hair a bit.

Both Sabakus nodded, matching smiles on their faces. "That is so kind Hideaki, we would love your company." Minako said.

"And I can tell you funny stuff about Mimi!" Ayame clapped gleefully, as the group made their way towards their destination.

Hideaki laughed. "Sounds great."


	4. Girl Time

**Oddity**

_Chapter Four_

-Girl Time-

Ami let out a sigh as she finished her vanilla cone. It'd been two days since her aunt and uncle's disastrous game of kickball, and thankfully she hadn't seen any of her Uchiha relatives since. When she'd come home from the hot springs her mother and Ayame had been giggling about their wonderful lunch with Hideaki. All they could talk about was how nice he was, and how funny he was, and that she should really try and go on a date with him because he was absolutely perfect.

She rolled her eyes at the memory and tossed her napkins in a nearby trashcan. Who cared what they thought about the brunette male, it didn't sway her any towards liking him. He was cute, true, but she didn't even know him, and she didn't really want to. What she was experiencing right now was a crush, nothing more. Soon she would be going back to Suna, and she could put this entire experience behind her and get on with her life.

Someone called out her name and she froze, praying it wasn't a family member. Looking around, she spotted Hikari coming towards her. Well, at least she wasn't _directly_ a family member. "What."

The pale haired woman stopped before her. "I just wanted to say hi." She shrugged. "And I didn't really get the chance to tell you before, but you did great at the game. It must be pretty cool to be so strong."

"Yeah, it is." The auburn haired woman smiled slightly.

"Hey, I was going to meet up with Talia and hang out and stuff, since she's still upset about the whole Sanosuke thing, and I'm still not talking to Noriaki." She explained. "Do you want to come with me?"

Ami's lips thinned as she thought about it. Both girls did seem nice, and it wasn't like she had any other plans. Plus, if she did this her mother would stop accusing her of being so antisocial. "Alright." she nodded, turning and falling into step with Hikari. "What were you going to do?"

A look of contemplation came to the other woman's face. "Not sure exactly. I was going to see what Talia wanted to do. This whole thing is to cheer her up after all."

She nodded, and when she looked up saw that they were in front of an apartment building. They went up the stairs and down the hall, stopping before a door. Hikari knocked on it and then stepped back as they waited for the blonde to answer the door.

The door opened, but it wasn't the blonde haired girl. It was a sandy brown haired man with dark brown eyes. "It ain't that Uchiha punk, Kira." He laughed, though it sounded much harsher than his appearance. "Looks like you fucked up bad girl. He hasn't even come to see you in two days. I saw him in the market yesterday afternoon." He called back into the house.

Talia appeared in the hall, pulling on a sweatshirt and hurried past him. "You hear me?" he said, grabbing Talia by the arm before she could get out, the action causing her to wince. "Looks like you are as useless as you look. Can't even keep your hold on the best thing that will ever happen to you." He seethed.

"Let go of me Hajime." Talia said lowly, but it was obvious from the red in her eyes she'd been crying. He shoved her forward and slammed the door behind her, leaving the three girls alone on the airway.

"Sorry about that…" Talia apologized and then seemed to notice Ami. "Hey Ami, I didn't know you were coming." She almost smiled. "I'm glad, I had fun playing with you till…well you know." She sighed.

"Yeah, it was fun." Ami said, glancing at the closed door. She wanted to ask if Sanosuke knew about how that man treated Talia, but since it wasn't her place, she kept her mouth shut.

Hikari wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Come on Talia, today is about you, so whatever you want to do, we'll do." She smiled, leading her down the steps as Ami followed. "And no stupid Uchihas are going to ruin it."

"Whatever you guys want to do is fine with me." Talia said simply, breathing deeply so she could feel better.

"Why don't we go to the spa?" Ami suggested. She still hadn't gone, and Izayoi seemed to be too busy to go now, so she might as well use it as a means of getting to know these women.

Hikari gasped in delight. "Ooh! That sounds great! What do you think Talia?" she asked as they reached the ground.

"No!" she almost yelled and then went wide eyed. Talia looked at the two, who were staring at her oddly. "Um I mean…I dunno…that's so…"

"Relaxing?" Hikari asked, poking her friend's cheek. "After that crazy game we could all use a good massage."

Talia shook her head, turning slightly pale. "I…I don't want a massage."

Ami stepped in front of her, her teal gaze hard. "Does Sano know that that man beats you?" she asked harshly, not one to beat around the bush.

"What does that matter now?" Talia snapped, glaring at Ami. "And I don't want to talk about it. I just want to be away from everything."

She sighed. "We're going to the hot springs." She announced, grabbing both Hikari and Talia's hands and leading them in that direction.

"What? Why?" Hikari asked, confused.

"You'll see." Ami said, walking with purpose.

"But I don't want to go there!" Talia yelled, now getting angry. She tried to break from Ami's strong grip, though it wasn't hurting her.

Ami ignored them both, and dragged them inside the lobby of the spring. "One private women's bath please." She said, releasing her captives and pulling out her money pouch. The receptionist gave them an odd look before smiling and handing them the key to their changing room.

"Go right on back." She said, taking the money off the counter.

Nodding, Ami grabbed Hikari and Talia once more. She didn't say a word until they were inside their changing room, the only other exit being the shoji screen leading to their bath. She turned and looked at Talia. "Take off your clothes and I will heal your bruises." She instructed. "The hot water from the spring will aid in relaxing and soothing any aches you have from the beatings. And it's good for you."

"I know that." Talia glared. "I want to be a nurse. But I can't afford to go as much as I need to."

"Just take off your clothes Talia." Hikari urged, her brow marring with worry.

Talia rolled her eyes and grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt, pulling it over her head. There was a dark bruise on her left upper arm. Then she pulled off her shirt and both Ami and Hikari went wide eyed. All along her sides, back, and stomach were purple splotches, some yellowing as they finally began to heal.

"Talia…" Hikari said, a sad look coming to her face.

Ami didn't say a word, instead gently taking her bruised arm and beginning to heal it. Then she moved to her sides. "I promise nobody will find out." she said softly, placing both of her hands on the blonde's back as they glowed green.

"What?! How can you not tell somebody about this?!" Hikari asked, outraged. "It's wrong!"

"Doctor-patient confidentiality." The auburn haired woman stated, slowing rising as she moved up Talia's back. "Talia clearly does not want others to know, and we must respect her wishes."

"And no one better find out." The blonde snapped, giving Hikari a hard look. "I know you might think that you're helping, but you're not."

"But…" Hikari said, looking between her two friends. She sighed, knowing it would be a losing battle.

Ami straightened and took care of Talia's shoulders. "Any time you want, I'll heal you while I'm in town." She promised. "That way you don't have to suffer, and your secret can be kept." She moved to get her other side then.

"Well that won't be too often, I just met you and I've known Sano since I was little." The blonde sighed, her body already relaxing from the lost ache. "But thanks…"

She nodded absentmindedly, beginning to heal Talia's stomach. While she was doing that, she delved deep with her chakra, and let out a relived sigh upon discovery that Talia was not being sexually abused as well. When she finished, she moved away from her and smiled. "Alright, let's go relax, shall we?" she asked.

"Yes please." Hikari agreed, immediately beginning to undress. "Ignoring Noriaki is a lot of work."

"Maybe to you." Ami scoffed, removing her shirt.

"I don't know why you're mad at Noriaki. That's just how he is and Sano pushed him too far." Talia sighed, removing the rest of her clothing and wrapping a towel around her body. "I mean…you don't really believe he would ever cheat on you, as much of a douche as he is…or was, or whatever."

The pale haired woman sighed once more and looked over at her. "It's not that." She said, grabbing a towel and covering herself as well.

"Then what is it?" Ami asked, pulling out her hair tie and shaking her long auburn locks after she had wrapped a towel around herself.

"It's the whole…marriage thing." Hikari elaborated, walking past them and opening the door. She smiled at the sight of the inviting hot water. She walked out and slowly entered the soothing pool. Ami and Talia entered behind her, and each girl sat down on their own ledge. "I know he would never betray me, but his reaction to me just being _shown_ him proposing?" she shook her head. "It hurt."

"Well Noriaki's an angry guy." Talia pointed out, running her fingers through her long blonde locks and then tying them up in a messy bun. "Who's also got some serious emotional problems. Plus girls are always thinking about that and you guys are getting a lot older to where that's more realistic. How bad would you feel if he really wanted to get married and you just weren't ready for that much commitment? I think it might be more…him not wanting to be cornered into thinking that's going to be the only thing that will make you happy."

Hikari shrugged. "I suppose. I understand why he feels the way he does, and really, at this point marriage isn't the only thing that would make me happy. I'm happy enough that he tells me he loves me." She smiled, before it faltered. "I'm sorry." She gave Talia an apologetic look, since she knew the subject was sensitive.

"It's alright." Talia shrugged. "I guess…it just didn't really occur to me that he'd never said it until Noriaki pointed it out. I mean…as much of an annoying asshole that Nori is…at least he does things with you, even things he doesn't think that are particularly fun. He just likes to be with you…"

"Sano's just being stupid." Ami sighed, leaning back to wet her hair and scalp. "Thank God I don't have to deal with any of the crap you guys do. One of the many perks of not being in a relationship."

Talia nodded and sunk into the water until her mouth was below. She blew out, making small bubbles. Hikari let out a content sigh, leaning back against the ledge. "I think I'm going to talk to Noriaki today." She announced, looking up at the sky. "Because I really want to have sex."

The subject change caused Talia to turn a dark red as her blush spread to her neck. She lifted her head and looked over at Hikari. "Is sex….really that good?"

"It's amazing." The pale haired woman sat up and looked at the younger girl. "Once you're used to it, it feels great. Being so close to someone, sharing such a wonderful experience with them…aside from the physical pleasures, it's one of the best ways to be close with the person you love." She smiled.

The blonde girl looked down, patting her hands on the water. "I almost…did that with Sano…he was so upset when he came back from his mission…the first time he ever had to kill someone. I wanted to make him feel better and we were hanging out and then we started to make out and were doing…other things…" she breathed out, now a bright red. "But when he started to lift up my shirt I freaked out because I didn't want him to see my bruises…"

"How were the two of you going to have sex on your anniversary with all of those bruises?" Ami asked. "Some of those would have still been there."

"Because…" Talia looked down. "I, um, got some special medicine from your grandmother…I told her that I wanted to study the effects because I was interested in becoming a nurse."

"Smart." Hikari nodded.

Ami frowned, looking down at her lap. "What is it like…having a boyfriend?" she asked softly, fidgeting beneath the water. Despite all of her talk about being happy that she wasn't with someone, it was hard to watch your family members find a person that they could be with. Even Ayame had offers, but their father never allowed anything.

"Painful…" the blonde sighed.

"It has good moments." The other woman said. "I mean, it is nice to have someone there for you when you need them."

"I've never even held hands with a boy." The Sabaku admitted, glancing up at them.

Hikari chuckled. "We need to get you a date while you're here." She said. "I mean, everyone should at least go on a date once in their life. I bet Hideaki would take you on one." She offered.

Ami shook her head. "Oh no, I can't go on a date with him. He makes me say stupid things, and I always wind up hitting him on accident…it's just a better idea if it's with a stranger. And someone not as attractive as Hideaki is."

"If you are always saying stupid things then that means you like him. He's like, the greatest guy ever." Talia smiled. "He's so nice and funny, he remembers my birthday every year."

"It's just a crush." The auburn haired girl defended, though the blush on her face said otherwise.

"Uh huh." Hikari snickered. "You know, I convinced myself that I only thought Noriaki was attractive, and it wasn't too much later that we slept together and I fell in love with him."

Talia nodded. "No such thing as a crush. It's got to come from somewhere right? Besides didn't the old Hokage's wife have an enormo crush on him like her whole life?"

"My grandmother did not have a crush on my grandpapa." Ami huffed defensively. "She loved him, and was one of the most devoted people in his life. She was there for him whenever he needed her, romantically or not."

Hikari's conspiratorial smile widened. "So what you're saying is that you're full of crap, and want nothing more than to be romanced by Hideaki."

"Do not!" she practically squeaked, looking like a tomato.

"I think you do." Talia chimed in, actually smiling. "All you have to do is be nice to him and he'll see how great you are!"

"But it won't work!" Ami argued, looking defeated. "Even if I became comfortable enough around him to…be nice, I live in Suna and he lives here." She said. "It just wouldn't work out."

The violet eyed woman blinked, unconvinced. "Vitani lives even farther away from here than you do, and she and Kanamé make it work."

"Bottom line is, I don't want things to become serious between us." She said. "I like only having to worry about myself, and I like being alone." She lied, crossing her arms.

"Nobody likes being alone." Talia said simply. "No one. And I know that because even Sasuke-sama has surrounded himself with his family."

"I have family in Suna, so I'm never really alone."

The blonde gave her a hard stare. "Yeah, but you're not from the Uchiha line. You're from the Sabaku line. And seeing as Gaara-sama needs Sakura-sama, looks like you're doomed to love."

Ami scoffed, looking away from her. "Well I don't want to fall in love with anyone."

"Why not? Loving someone is one of the greatest things that could ever happen to you." Hikari asked.

"I just don't." she said softly.

Talia shrugged. "Sometimes it's the greatest thing ever." She sighed, sinking back down. "But it never hurts to try, right Ami? After all, as you said if you don't want to you won't. Just go on a date and call it that. It's not like you're asking him to marry you or anything."

"But…" the Sabaku blushed, and then covered her cheeks to hide the redness. "I can't ask him on a date, that's embarrassing! And what if he says no? Then he'll know that I like him, and he'll tell my cousins, and they'll make fun of me…"

Hikari waved off the matter. "I'll take care of it, don't worry." She said. "The guys are hanging out later, so I'll make sure that I begin to talk to Noriaki again around the time that happens."

Talia rolled her eyes, "He won't do that anyways. He loves hanging out with people and he's the least douchey of them all."

"You can just come with me. Both of you can." Hikari said. "And we can just keep hanging out after we talk to the guys."

"No." Talia huffed, crossing her arms. "I don't want to deal with Sanosuke. He hasn't even bothered to come see me, nonetheless spy on me."

"That's fine, we can take you home and then go find them." the pale haired woman said.

Ami sunk deeper into the water. "I don't know about this…" she said.

"Well you guys can go, but I'm not going home." Talia glared, standing up and grabbing her towel so it didn't fall. "I'm tired of sitting here, I feel like I'm turning to putty." She said and got out of the hot springs. Ami and Hikari got up as well and the girls went back into the changing room. Once they were all clothed they headed out, Hikari telling Ami about how wonderful her plan was. They walked out of the hot springs, not noticing the man who was leaning against the wall by the entrance.

They heard someone clear their throat and stopped, looking back. Hikari went wide eyed, confused. "Noriaki?" she asked, meeting the middle triplet's gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you all day." He said simply, pushing off from the wall and walking over to her. He stopped in front of her and it was only then that she noticed he was holding two different flowers. He smiled down at her sadly, touching the dark purple tulip to her chin. "Why are you doing this to me, my love?" he asked softly. "I miss you."

She reached up and took the flower from him, giving him a small smile. "I was going to come and find you." she admitted, using her free hand to cup his cheek. "I missed you too."

He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry." He sighed. "I was bad and I'm sorry." He said, looking at her as innocently as he could.

Hikari giggled and kissed him. "It's okay baby, I'll punish you tonight." She said, playing with some of his hair.

Noriaki actually smiled but pulled away, looking over at Talia. "Lia…" he gave her a sad smile. The blonde met his gaze, a frown etched on her façade. "Lia, I'm sorry." Noriaki stepped towards her, holding out a large star-gazer lily. "I shouldn't have said what I said and I am sorry to you."

Talia glanced down at the flower and then back at Noriaki. "I know…" she said softly, taking the flower and smiling slightly. "It's okay…just eye-opening I guess."

"Nori," Hikari said, taking his hand and looking up at him. "I want you to know that I don't want to get married." She told him. "Maybe someday, but right now, I'm happy just being with you, and loving you. And I don't want that to be an issue with us."

The dark haired man gave her an odd look, "What the hell are you spouting about woman?"

Talia simply giggled. "Hikari, you're not supposed to say that so bluntly to him."

Hikari just smiled and kissed him once more. "Nevermind. Hey, since you're here, you want to do me a favor?" she asked, leaning against him and batting her eyes.

"Depends what the favor is, baby."

"Well," she glanced at Ami, whose gaze narrowed in suspicion. "Ami kinda likes Hideaki, but she's too embarrassed to ask him out, so since you're going to see him later, will you use your wonderful powers of persuasion, and convince him to ask Ami out instead?"

Ami gasped. "Hikari!" she huffed. "Why would you tell him that?!"

"Because nobody has a better way with words than my man." The pale haired woman stated.

"Aw, little Mimi likes Hideaki?" Noriaki smirked, wrapping his arm around Hikari's waist.

Talia nodded, smelling her flower. "Yup. She does."

"Well he doesn't need persuading." The Uchiha said simply as he shrugged.

"We just need you to get him to ask her out." Hikari said. "I think if Ami tries to she'll just stand there and stutter like an idiot. I thought she was going to faint in the hot springs, her face got so dark." She snickered, watching as the young Sabaku began to turn pink.

"It did not."

"Sure it did pansy." Noriaki smirked. "Well I can pitch the idea, but Hideaki thinks Ami is cute. Kinda like when you sputtered like a moron when you finally realized you liked me."

Hikari stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "I didn't sputter _that_ badly."

Ami rolled her eyes. "Look, I appreciate that you guys want to help me and all, but really, it's not worth the effort. I think I'm just gonna go back to my grandparent's house and read or something."

"Cause' being with that dobe is _so_ much more interesting than going on a date." Noriaki scoffed, pulling Hikari closer to him. "Anyways, do what you want, me and Hikari are going out to lunch." He informed them, dragging the white haired girl off.

"What?" Ami asked, looking absolutely lost. "You mean…I have to find him and ask him myself?"

"It'll be good for you." Noriaki called, waving as he walked off and disappeared.

She glared at the last spot she saw her cousin and crossed her arms. "How am I supposed to find him? I don't even know where he frequents." She grumbled.

"He's probably training or something." Talia shrugged. "Or you could always ask Natsumi-sama to summon him, he's directly under her."

Ami waved it off. "Please, I'm not _that_ desperate." She said. "I'll see you later Talia, I'm gonna go see if I can find him."

"Alright…" Talia sighed. "Good luck."

She nodded, turning and wandering around the village. Surely she'd find him. She had no trouble running into him when she wasn't looking for him, so she should find him that much faster.

Deciding to check the training fields first, she felt her heart sink when she didn't spot him. Then she remembered that they had a few more secluded ones father back, for those who wanted to keep their workouts a secret. She leapt into the trees, heading towards the closest one that she knew of. She heard a sound in the distance, and went towards it, masking her chakra and crouching low in the branches of a high tree to see who it was. Spotting Hideaki, she smiled slightly.

An idea came to her then, and since he had yet to make it known whether or not he had noticed her approach, she figured it would work. She clenched her hand into a fist and sent chakra towards it, before jumping out of the tree at the brunette. He leapt out of the way, as she'd hoped he would, and when she landed on the ground she punched the earth, causing a huge tremor and for some of the ground to break.

She straightened and looked up, her teal gaze meeting his own fuchsia one. A panic began to build then, what was she even going to say? I think you're hot so let's go out? That was just lame. She supposed she should have thought that through before attacking him. "Talia said I might find you here." She told him, hiding her grimace. _That_ was her witty, awesome greeting? God she was an idiot.

"Okay…?" he said a bit awkwardly, since he was confused as to why she had just jumped out of the trees. "Did you need something?"

She scratched her cheek, trying to keep down her blush. "Well…I was hoping…I mean wondering…you know, eating is good for you and stuff…it's actually better to eat five times a day instead of three, did you know that?" she asked, laughing nervously. "Most people don't, but since I'm a med-nin, I do." Realizing that she was making a fool of herself, she covered her face. "Oh God."

But Hideaki just smiled at her. "Are you attempting to invite me to eat with you?" he asked, arching a curious brow. Ami nodded, still keeping her face hidden from him, so that he wouldn't see how dark it had gotten. Watching her, he smiled, "Five times a day you say?" he wondered aloud. "Well I guess you'll just have to eat with me every time, so I know when the proper intervals are."

She moved her hands to her cheeks in order to look up at him and still keep her blush concealed. "So…tomorrow?" she asked, hope threading into her voice.

"Sure thing. Which of the five meals would you like to have?" Hideaki smirked, though it wasn't in a mocking way.

"You mean we're not eating all five?" she questioned before she could stop herself. "Um, I mean, lunch. We can have lunch."

Hideaki burst into laughter, actually holding onto his side as he keeled over. "No! No, no. We definitely need to have all five now." He smiled, looking up at her and wiping away a tear that threatened to fall from how hard he was laughing.

"Okay…I'll see you tomorrow then." She said softly, turning and beginning to walk off. She stopped suddenly and looked back up at him with wide eyes. "Just come by my grandparent's house around eight in the morning."

"Sure thing." Hideaki waved. "See you tomorrow Ami!"

She smiled slightly. "Bye." She said, before rushing off through the trees. When she was a safe distance away she lowered her arms and smiled fully. She had a date tomorrow. An all-day date.

Suddenly she halted, a gasp escaping her mouth as her eyes widened. She would be with Hideaki all day, meaning that by the end of it, it was guaranteed that something terribly embarrassing would happen to her. And she needed to find something to wear.

"Crap!" she shouted, running off to enlist the help of her mother and sister. Because she was going to need all the help she could get, especially since she wasn't a morning person.


End file.
